Schemes
by wickedsistah1024
Summary: The war is over. The world is in peace. And Isshin just had a very brilliant idea--let Orihime stay in the Kurosaki home. *IchiRuki* currently being edited
1. Prologue

Yay! My first IchiRuki multi-chap fic! I've been obsessed with the HitsuRuki pairing for the past month, but after reacquainting myself with IchiRuki fics, I suddenly had a strong desire to write one. I hope you like this!

* * *

**Schemes**

**Prologue**

Finally, after the destructive Winter War, everything was back to normal. The world was in peace. Except in a little house somewhere in Karakura-cho...

"ICHIIIIIGOOOOO!" Isshin yelled as he gave his son his daily dose of flying kicks—to which Ichigo retorted with his own dose of beatings.

"What the hell, you psychopath?!" Isshin flew across the house, a dent clearly marking the wall he hit.

"Morning, Onii-chan!" Yuzu greeted from the kitchen.

Ichigo grunted a reply. Rukia and Karin arrived at the same time at the dining area.

"KARIN-CHAAAAAA--" Isshin was—again—thrown across the room by his black-haired daughter's outstretched arm.

"Ow, Rukia-chan! My third daughter! Protect daddy!" Isshin cried on Rukia's shoulder.

Rukia patted the old man awkwardly on the back. "Morning, ojisan."

Yuzu came out of the kitchen and served their breakfast.

"Sooo...Onii-chan, Rukia-nee, any..uhm...news yet?" Yuzu asked cheerfully.

Rukia glanced at Ichigo, who just shrugged back at her, and confusedly asked Yuzu, "What news, Yuzu-chan?"

"She means if you and Ichigo already had se--" For the third time that morning, the wall was hit by the projectile named Isshin.

"I mean...are you two...dating now?" Yuzu clarified.

Rukia choked on her food.

"What the...?! Yuzu, where do you get those stupid ideas?!" Ichigo yelled, masking his blush with false anger.

"I'm just asking, Onii-chan. Me and Karin are curious. I'm sure you like Rukia-nee. She's beautiful, and smart..."

"I'm not curious, Yuzu." Karin deadpanned. "I told you once, I'm not going to bother fussing with Ichi-nii's affairs until he brings home someone of Orihime's caliber. So don't go dragging me into that."

"That's rude Karin!" Yuzu berated her twin sister.

Karin smirked as she glanced at the raven-haired woman sitting across from her. After everything that had come to pass, she still couldn't help but bear a grudge against this woman who caused her Ichi-nii to suffer a lot. Her only goal was to piss this woman off until her frustration passed. She knew that this woman had really short patience, and from the looks of it, Karin was successful in pissing her off.

On the contrary though, Rukia is far from pissed. It was more like...she's hurt. Yes, hurt. She couldn't help but feel...unwelcome. She knew perfectly well why Karin hated her, and she was willing to do anything in her power to appease the young girl. This was why she simply lets Yuzu's twin do or say anything she wants, hoping to somehow ease whatever anger the young girl felt for her.

Rukia's fake smile was instantly plastered on her face "Oh, no. It's okay, Yuzu-chan! Karin-chan is right. I'm actually wondering why Ichigo hasn't brought home a girl like Orihime yet."

Ichigo, who was quietly observing the exchange, scowled. He didn't like the way Karin treated Rukia, and he needed to talk to the dark-haired girl about that later. He was about to speak when his dad beat him to it.

"Ichigo, why don't you invite Orihime-chan to dinner tonight?" Isshin smirked at him from where he was.

Ichigo frowned. He really didn't know how the minds of his family worked. He scowled even harder as he thought of the impending disaster that was tonight's dinner.

"Oh, ojisan." Rukia interjected, her cheery facade still on. "I'll make sure she comes."

"Oh, that'll be great! I'll be cooking great dinner for tonight!" Yuzu exclaimed.

Ichigo stood up. "Whatever. C'mon Rukia, we'll be late for school."

* * *

The walk to their school was filled with uncomfortable silence. Rukia dropped her facade the moment she stepped out of the house. Ichigo glanced at his companion, still mulling over Karin's words. He knew it somehow hurt the petite woman, but only because of the veiled insult that came with Karin's statement. Rukia's thoughts, however, were not lingering on the indirect insult, but about how the dark-haired sister of the man she...loved? liked?...didn't like her for the said man. She knew that his family was very important to Ichigo, and he always considers what they say, no matter how he appears to oppose it. If Karin didn't like her, then there was no way Ichigo and her could be...wait a minute. She and Ichigo aren't even in a relationship! _He doesn't even love you, _Rukia thought.

"Oi, Rukia." Ichigo said, interrupting Rukia's thoughts.

"Don't...don't mind what Karin says. She doesn't know everything. I mean, she knows about our job and stuff, but she doesn't fully understand how we owe you our lives. All she knows is—"

"—that I'm the reason you went through hell. Yeah, I understand, Ichigo."

"Just...give her time. She's still young. When you get to know each other really well, I'm sure you'll be good friends."

"I suppose..."

Before they entered the school gates, Ichigo, upon seeing the same pained look on Rukia's face, grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her around.

"And about that whole Inoue thing...don't worry, Rukia. You're beautiful in your own way." With that, Ichigo walked past her and entered the school.

Rukia blinked a few times before her mind finally registered what Ichigo had just said.

"Idiot." She smiled and made her way inside the school.

* * *

Rukia ate her lunch with the girls today. As always, they did their usual "interrogation session", with Rukia —again— on the hot seat.

"Sooo, Kuchiki-san..." Natsui Mahana started. "You live with Kurosaki-kun, right?"

"Uh, y-yeah. Why?" Rukia asked, her cheery facade strangely absent.

"Well, are you two together now? I mean as a couple?"

"Mahana! So straightforward as always!" Ogawa Michiru butted in.

"But no one else wanted to ask! And we're all dying to know!" Mahana defended.

The girls looked at Rukia expectantly.

"Oh, no, no! I told you, Kurosaki-kun and I are just friends."

Inoue Orihime and Arisawa Tatsuki arrived and joined the girls at that point.

"Oh, Orihime! Kurosaki-san asked if you could join us for dinner tonight." Rukia said, looking up at the buxom girl.

Orihime blinked. "Really? Why?"

"What is Ichigo's dad planning?" Tatsuki wondered aloud.

"Maybe he wants a threesome for his son!" Mahana said. The other girls squealed.

"NOOOO! I should come, too!" Honsho Chizuru said. "Kuchiki-san and Kurosaki-kun could be a couple, while me and Hime—" The four-eyed girl came flying towards the sky as Tatsuki kicked her.

Rukia shrugged. "I don't know either, Orihime. But I suggest you come so he wouldn't spend the night whining and crying." Rukia grinned at the auburn head.

"Oh, okay, Kuchiki-san! I'm excited. I would bring my new recipe!"

The girls sweat dropped.

* * *

Ichigo, Rukia and Orihime walked silently towards the Kurosaki house. Ichigo was quietly observing the two women. He couldn't help but feel joy at seeing them both alive and well. They were, after all, the women he risked his life for.

From a nearby lamp post, two figures tried to hide their presence.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?"

"Yeah, yeah. That son of mine needs to learn a lesson. He's too slow. He wouldn't lift a limb unless provoked."

"I wonder whom he took after..."

"Certainly not me. I got Masaki right after realizing I'm in love with her..."

"Ah, maybe that's where your son's problem lies. Has he realized his feelings yet?"

"I doubt it. But I'm sure he will, soon."

"But wouldn't the other girl get hurt?"

"She will. Actually, they both will. Well, it's better for her to realize the truth now than later, right? She will find out eventually, and she will get hurt. Why postpone what's inevitable? Might as well make her realize that early on."

"Ah, unrequited love. Well, good luck Isshin." The man said, fixing the hat on his head. "I need to go now. My squad needs me, you know..." He grinned.

"Ah, I know I should have taken that offer to come back as well. Anyway, see you Kisuke."

Meanwhile, the three teens have finally entered the house.

"Good evening Onii-chan, Rukia-nee, Orihime-chan!" Yuzu greeted

The young girl received two "good evening's" and a grunt in reply.

"I'm glad you could come, Orihime-chan." Karin said as the three came into the dining area.

"RUKIA-CHAN! ORIHIME-CHAN! OH, I AM SOOOO HAPPY!" Isshin, coming out of nowhere, flew towards the clueless girls and enveloped them in a tight hug. "Now, let's start dinner!"

The dinner was quiet, and it was starting to grate on Ichigo's nerves.

"Oi, old man! Don' t tell me you invited Inoue over for nothing! Speak up. Now."

"My, my. Impatient as always, my boy! But you're right. Orihime-chan, you're still living in your and your brother's apartment, right?"

"Oh, yes! I love that apartment! It's just nearby. Oh, I know! Next time, you all could come over and visit. I'll make dinner for us!"

Obviously, everyone knew of Inoue's infamous fondness for rather unique delicacies, and couldn't help the nervous smiles on their faces.

"Oh, that would be great, Orihime-chan! But that's not the reason why I asked." Isshin said, rubbing his chin in a thoughtful manner.

Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief as the thought of dinner at Orihime's place vanished into thin air.

"Oh, why then, Kurosaki-san?"

"Oh! You see, it's not really safe for a beautiful young woman like you to live alone! You could get kidnapped!"

The three teens froze in their spots. Isshin didn't fail to notice this. He knew he shouldn't use it against them, but it was his trump card.

"You need someone to protect you, Orihime-chan! And since you're like family to us, we don't mind—"

"Oh, no, Kurosaki-san! You don't need to get me a bodyguard! I can take care of myself!"

Everyone's breath got caught in their throats. Just what the heck was Isshin planning?

"Oh, no, Orihime-chan! I wasn't thinking of that. I was going to ask you to stay in our home!"

Everyone gaped at him like he was a madman. Well, okay, he was..

Yuzu was the first to recover. "Oh, that's brilliant, otou-san, but..where do you plan to make her stay? I mean, our room is already full since Rukia-nee is staying with us."

The young girl didn't mean any offense in what she said, but Rukia couldn't help but feel a little tugging pain in her chest as a familiar word ran through her mind over and over again — burden.

"She could stay in Ichi-nii's room." Karin said, and smirked at the reaction she got from the three teens.

"HELL NO!" Ichigo bellowed.

"C'mon, Ichi-nii, your bed is the biggest in this house. And what are you afraid about sharing a room with Orihime? Losing control?"

"Shut it, Karin." Ichigo growled.

"Actually, that isn't a bad idea, since the two of you are..." Yuzu trailed off, suddenly unsure of what she was saying.

Rukia didn't utter a wod. What could she say? That Orihime could take her bed and she'll be the one to share with Ichigo? Hell, no! If she dared open her mouth, she knew she'll only sound like a jealous girlfriend.

"Oh, Kurosaki-san, I-I don't think I can accept the offer. I mean, I'm actually fine living on my own." Orihime knew this was her chance—her chance to be with the man she adored. But somehow, she couldn't just take it. It felt...wrong.

"Nonsense, Orihime-chan, I insist! And don't worry about Ichigo! He won't lose control!"

"Shut up, you demented idiot!"

"Why Ichigo? Wouldn't you want Orihime here? Wouldn't you want to make sure she's safe? Huh? Huh?"

Ichigo frowned. He was cornered with that question. His eyes traveled across the occupants of the table—Yuzu's slightly blushing face, Karin's smirk, Isshin's wiggling eyebrows, Orihime's somewhat hopeful eyes and Rukia's...indifference. His eyes rested on the petite woman who seemed to be concentrating on her food. He frowned deeper.

"Fine." That was all Ichigo managed to say before he resumed his dinner.

"Great! Now, Orihime-chan, please take the offer."

And that was it. Orihime lost the concept of right and wrong, not that she seemed to have it in the first place, and said, "I'd love to!"

* * *

Orihime moved the day after. Ichigo helped carry her boxes all the way home that by night time, he felt really exhausted.

Orihime started unpacking her things in Ichigo's room.

"Where do I put my clothes, Kurosaki-kun?"

"In the closet." Ichigo tiredly said as he plopped down on the bed.

Orihime opened the closet and found a neatly folded futon inside. "Oh, you have an extra futon here, Kurosaki-kun. I guess this'll work for me."

"Nah. Old man's gonna kill me if I let you sleep on the floor while sleep on the bed. Besides, that futon is small. It fits exactly in that small closet. And that's where...Rukia used to sleep."

"Oh..." Orihime started putting her clothes inside the closet. The room was silent until Orihime finished unpacking.

Orihime closed the closet door, and leaned her forehead on it to hide the blush creeping up her face. "Ano, Kurosaki-kun...I-it's really okay for me to sleep on the floor. I-I mean, I know you'll be uncomfortable with me sleeping beside you...So..." She turned around...

Ichigo was laying on his bed, asleep. Orihime couldn't help but admire his peaceful form. She slowly walked towards the bed. This was her chance to get close to Ichigo. Tatsuki was right. She wouldn't get anything if she surrendered without a fight. So, she will fight for Ichigo's heart...

..

..

..

..

Orihime woke up the next morning as the first rays of sunlight entered through the window. She glanced at the unfamiliar surrounding, then remembered she was now staying with the Kurosaki's. She quickly looked at the man sleeping beside her. Ichigo was still sleeping soundly, lying on his back. Both his arms were outstretched across the bed just below the pillows, while Orihime was curled up beside him, her head just below his left arm. She sat up a little and observed the carrot-top. Her heart swelled with love for the man. She adjusted her position on the bed so she could rest her head on his shoulder...

Rukia went downstairs for breakfast. She didn't sleep too well last night for reasons no one really needed to ask about.

"Morning, Rukia-nee!" Yuzu greeted.

"Morning, Yuzu." Rukia said, stifling a yawn.

"I'm almost finished making breakfast. Could you check if Onii-chan and Orihime-chan are awake?"

Rukia, really curious about what was going on behind Ichigo's closed door, agreed without hesitation.

Rukia's hand was resting on the doorknob. She was in the middle of an inner rambling on whether or not she should knock first or just barge in like she usually did. She slowly turned the door knob open and entered the room.

And her heart dropped to her stomach.

* * *

There. I hope you like that. I'm sorry for the typos and grammar errors. Please review and tell me if I should continue this one! Take care everyone! :)


	2. Chapter 1

Yay! I am so happy with the warm reception you guys gave this story. I am sorry that I couldn't reply to any of you. It's just that I'm busy right now and I have to either reply to your reviews or post a chapter up, and I eventually chose the latter. I hope this works.

I would like to thank everyone who reviewed**: sunlightangels, Hachimitsu-sama, rukiaichigo15chappy, Alice001, syringa vulgaris, liltiffany, Ice warrioress, ObliviousWarrior89, DeviantHollow23, Eternity Crystal, CharmedNightSkye, Secret Starr, Yuyu Kawai, shell** and **Goukatenshi.**

I also would like to say hi to everyone who added this to their Alerts and Favorites List.

I hope you guys stick with me all the way! Thanks again!

* * *

Rukia's heart dropped to her stomach.

She was staring at what could be a picture-perfect scene—if only it didn't hurt her like hell. There was Ichigo and Orihime, lying on the bed together. Orihime's head was resting on the crook of Ichigo's neck. Her left hand was intertwined with Ichigo's right, and his left arm was wrapped around Orihime's shoulders.

Rukia bit her lower lip. It hurt. But why? Did this mean she liked this orange-haired idiot? Rukia willed herself not to cry. She couldn't. It would have been a pathetic sight if anyone caught her crying while staring at the two figures. She knew Orihime loved Ichigo, but never did she think that the carrot-top felt the same way…and apparently, he did.

Rukia took a deep breath. They were her friends, and if being together makes them happy, then she'll gladly accept that fact and be happy for them herself. She silently retreated and walked out of the room. Somehow, a lone tear managed to escape her eyes, so she wiped it dry before heading back down to the dining area.

Unknown to the petite woman, the moment she went out of Ichigo's room was the same moment Karin walked out of theirs. The young girl saw what Rukia did, and became curious of what happened in her Ichi-nii's room.

Upon seeing that the door to Ichigo's room was slightly ajar, Karin peeked in and saw the sight. She honestly didn't know how to react. Of course, she somehow hated the raven-haired shinigami, but she thought—no, she knew—that her Ichi-nii liked the woman. So how come her Ichi-nii was in such a compromising position with another woman? Could it be that she assumed wrong? That maybe, her Ichi-nii really liked this buxom woman instead? Remembering Rukia's reaction, Karin instantly realized that she didn't need to act coldly towards the petite woman anymore. Orihime staying in their house—in her Ichi-nii's room at that—was enough torture for the Rukia.

Rukia came back to the dining area, her cheerful façade in place.

"Oh, Yuzu-chan, Ichigo and Orihime are still sleeping. I didn't want to wake them up because they might still be tired from all the…adjusting they did yesterday."

"It's alright, Rukia-nee. They'll probably wake up soon. You all have school, after all." Yuzu replied as she prepared the table.

* * *

Ichigo woke up but didn't open his eyes. He felt the sun's bright rays would assault his vision the moment he opened his amber orbs. Plus, he didn't really sleep well. Several times earlier that morning, he felt his arms being dragged, and a weight dropping on his shoulder then later on the crook of his neck. His sleep-filled mind didn't register any possible reason for those disturbances. He just wanted to sleep because he felt really tired, so he didn't mind whatever or whoever it was that was coaxing him into waking up (or so he thought). About an hour earlier (in his estimate), he felt something lift his arm up and wrap it around something, and another something hold his hand. All he wanted then was to utilize whatever remaining time he had before he needed to wake up for school, so again, he dismissed the idea of confronting the culprit.

Right now, however, he felt something wiggle beside him. He frowned. Finally wiping away whatever sleep was left on his mind, he realized that the 'something' holding his hand was in fact another hand, and the 'something' his arm was wrapped around on was actually a 'someone'. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself staring at gray orbs.

"Ohayou, Kurosaki-kun…"

Ichigo blinked. What could Inoue be doing in their house that early? Why was she even in his room? Hold up. Why was she in his bed?!

"AAAAAH!"

* * *

The dining table was quiet. Rukia was looking intently at her food; Ichigo was scowling more than usual, but his face was visibly red; Orihime was blushing; Karin was smirking; Yuzu was confused. And where was Isshin?

"Oh, thanks for the wonderful breakfast, Yuzu-chan. I think I'll go ahead, though. I always enjoy early morning walks and the weather today is just perfect for one. Ichigo, Orihime, see you at school. Bye Yuzu-chan, Karin-chan!"

Rukia stood up and got ready to leave.

"Oi, Rukia, wait up." Ichigo stood up as well. "I'm coming with you."

Rukia blinked. "Huh?" She glanced at Orihime's face and saw that the auburn-head saddened a bit. 'Ichigo, you dense, inexperienced idiot! You really don't know how to be sweet to a girl!' Rukia thought, sympathizing with Orihime.

"I said I'm coming with you, idiot." Ichigo said, grabbing his bag.

"Oh…uhm, Orihime, why don't you come with us as well?" Rukia offered.

Orihime's face lit up. "Sure, Kuchiki-san!"

The three walked quietly towards school, with Rukia two steps ahead of Ichigo and Orihime. She was cheerfully, a little too cheerfully for Ichigo's liking, observing her surroundings

"Oi, midget."

Rukia continued skipping to school.

"Oi, Rukia!"

Rukia stopped and turned around. "Did you call me?"

"What's your problem?" Ichigo frowned. Orihime silently watched the exchange.

"What do you mean?" Rukia innocently asked.

"Heh, I know you, midget. Drop the act; you suck big time. What's the matter?"

Shit! Rukia never thought that Ichigo knew her that well and could read her easily. Now think! What could she say? That she caught them hugging while they were asleep? No freakin' way!

From the corner of her eye, Rukia saw a sakura tree in full blossom. "I…I miss…home…" It was a half-truth, although Rukia was a little hesitant in using the word 'home' since she felt that she also had a home in the living world.

Ichigo scowled. Wasn't his home her home now, too? Why did she have to think of some place else? "Then go back to that damned Soul Society! No one's stopping you!" Ichigo replied rather harshly.

Rukia froze on her spot. That hurt…even more than the scene she witnessed that morning. "A-aa…"

No one moved for a second. Rukia was so close to tears now. Her head hung low and her bangs covered her eyes.

Still irritated, Ichigo grabbed Orihime's arm and started walking away. "C'mon, we'll be late."

As soon as the two were out of sight, Rukia tilted her head up to the sky and let her tears finally fall…

* * *

It was already lunch time, but there was still no trace of the raven-haired shinigami in school. Ichigo was at the school rooftop staring off in the distance. She didn't go back to Soul Society, that was for sure. It was faint, but he could feel her reiatsu. Now where could that midget be? And why didn't she come to school?

"Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime called softly from behind him.

"What is it, Inoue?" Ichigo answered nonchalantly.

"You're…worried, aren't you?"

Ichigo scoffed. "Why would I be worried? That midget can take care of herself."

If only Ichigo believed his own words…

* * *

'He's right…why am I here in the first place? I am not the resident shinigami of this town…and yet I chose to stay here. Who am I kidding? I don't belong here. But…but that idiot didn't have to shove it in my face! That insensitive jerk…' Rukia took off to the opposite of the direction where Ichigo and Orihime went. She had been walking aimlessly since then until she found herself standing in front of the Urahara Shoten.

"Ah, what does this handsome, perverted businessman owe the pleasure of having you here, Kuchiki-san?" Urahara Kisuke asked as he flipped open his infamous fan.

Rukia hesitated for a moment. "I…I need you to open the gates to Soul Society for me. You know how no one under the lieutenant class can open it.."

"Ah, there will be no problem with that, Kuchiki-san, but may I ask why you want to return all of a sudden?"

"Do I need a reason for coming home?"

"Ara, ara. I do hope that's the truth, Kuchiki-san. I do not suppose Kurosaki-san has anything to do with this, correct?"

Rukia frowned. "No, he doesn't have anything to do with this decision." Liar.

Urahara closed his fan, his lips in a thin line. "Come in, then."

The two reached the underground basement, and Urahara wasted no time performing the ritual for the opening of the gate. Rukia waited silently beside him, thinking about the suddenness of her actions. Was it the right thing to do? Go back? Will her Byakuya-nii-sama allow her to return to the living world again? Will Ichigo even want her to return...?

Urahara frowned. No matter how hard he focused his reiatsu into opening the gate, nothing seemed to happen. He had been doing this same thing for hundreds of years, and it was next to impossible for him to fail in such a simple act. After trying for the thousandth time, he sighed heavily. Rukia noticed this.

"What is it, Urahara?"

"I can't open the gate. Something's wrong. Have you been receiving orders lately?"

Rukia thought for a moment. "Not for the past weeks or so. But the hollows don't show up as they used to anymore."

"Maybe. But it seems like…there's more to it than that. It's like our communication with Soul Society has been cut."

"W-what?"

"Since the gate couldn't be opened, no one from the living world could enter Soul Society, and no shinigami from Soul Society can be sent here as well." Urahara took his hat off and looked at the petite woman in all seriousness.

"And you think something's wrong?" Rukia worriedly asked. What could be happening in Soul Society at that moment? How was her nii-sama? Renji? Ukitake-taichou? How are her friends?

"I know for a fact that this isn't normal. Let's just hope nothing happens. Soul Society can handle itself. However…" he paused, looking towards the false sky of the underground training area. "…we can't. We're practically on our own. If something happens, there wouldn't be reinforcements to rely upon."

Rukia's eyes widened. Something was seriously wrong. Who could have blocked the Senkaimon and cut all of the living world's ties to Soul Society?

"We better keep our eyes open, Kuchiki-san. And kindly inform the others. I will keep on trying to establish communication with Soul Society."

* * *

It was after dinner when Rukia came back to the Kurosaki house. Yuzu looked at the front door when she heard it opening. "Rukia-nee!" The young girl ran and embraced the petite woman. "I was so worried, Rukia-nee! Onii-chan said you didn't come to school, and it's late and you weren't home yet. Where were you, Rukia-nee?"

Rukia's eyes softened at the young girl. "I'm sorry for making you worry, Yuzu-chan. I just…had to do something."

"It's okay, Rukia-nee. Have you eaten dinner? Do you want me to prepare you something?"

"No, I'm okay, Yuzu. Thanks. Is Ichigo home?"

"Yeah, he's in his room." Yuzu said, wiping her tears.

"Thanks. I'll go talk to him." Rukia smiled at the young girl. She seemed almost like a real little sister to her.

Rukia reached Ichigo's room and was about to barge in (out of habit) when she remembered that there was now another occupant. She knocked on the door, and after receiving a "come in" in response, she entered.

Ichigo was sitting in front of his desk working on his assignments, while Orihime was leaning on the window, watching the night sky.

"Uhm, I'm sorry to bother you, but—"

"Where were you midget? I sure am surprised you managed to come back. I thought for sure you were going back to that damned place." Ichigo was still irritated at her preference for Soul Society over her home in Karakura. After staying with him for almost half a year already (including her stay in his closet), he at least thought she considered the Kurosaki house her home.

Rukia scowled. Forgetting everything else she was supposed to say and getting into the heat of the argument, she said, "Why do you seem almost excited at the prospect of me leaving, huh, Ichigo?"

Ichigo scowled as well. He didn't know why he was getting worked up over such a little thing. "Damn right, midget."

Rukia's heart, which was shattered to pieces twice earlier that day, felt being crushed even more and ground to dust. She thought she was welcome to stay with them…she thought they accepted her as a part of the family…she thought he liked to be with her. She was wrong.

Before any more tears could be spilled, she answered, "Tell you what, Ichigo. If you want me out of here that badly, you don't have to worry. I'll be leaving soon, and you'll never see any sign of me ever again." With that, she stomped out of the room, banging the door close.

"Make sure, damn midget!" Ichigo yelled. He knew he shouldn't be saying such things. He knew it was a bad thing for Rukia to be provoked. He could already see himself bruised and battered after Rukia finishes pouring her righteous anger at him.

Orihime, who had been silently observing the argument, saw it as an opportunity. And like what Tatsuki once told her, she should grab every chance she gets.

Before they were about to sleep, Orihime, mustering up all the courage she has, asked, "Do you…do you like Kuchiki-san, Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo, still annoyed about the previous fight, scoffed. "Are you kidding? Not even Keigo, who treats her like a goddess, would want to be with her when he finds out the real her."

"Then…then do you think…" Orihime gulped. "Do you think you could give me a chance, Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo froze. So his friends were right…Orihime did like him…And…he couldn't say no. How could he? He knew it would break her heart. And Orihime was his friend…He couldn't break her heart, could he?

"Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime looked straight at his amber orbs.

"Y-Yeah?"

"Could you give me a chance?" She looked hopeful.

"Uh…I…I…Y-yes…" Ichigo reluctantly agreed.

Orihime smiled. He might not like her now, but she will do anything to make this work. "A-arigatou, Kurosaki-kun…" She lunged herself at him and embraced him...

* * *

Rukia lay awake in her bed. It was almost midnight, but she couldn't sleep. She was still thinking about what the orange-haired bastard said. He didn't want her here…He wanted her to leave…He— Her thoughts were broken when she felt someone's reiatsu spike up. She sat up and looked at the twins. They were already in dreamland. She tiptoed out of the room and went to get Ichigo, only to stop her hand when she reached for his door knob.

'If I'm leaving soon, I should stop depending on him…' Rukia swallowed a soul candy and instructed Chappy to go back soundlessly to the twins' room. Rukia shunpoed towards the reiatsu's direction.

She tried to identify who owned the reiatsu. It felt familiar, yet foreign at the same time. She arrived at the Karakura Park and found nothing. She closed her eyes to focus on locating the reiatsu, but a split-second after she closed her lids, she felt a presence behind her. She turned around and saw a familiar figure.

The man was wearing a white jacket and a matching white hakama. His face was white as well, and cyan lines ran beneath his green eyes with slit pupils. Remnants of his hollow mask remained on his head, forming something like a broken helmet.

Rukia's eyes widened. "U-Ulquiorra!"

* * *

Kyaaaah! I hope you like this chapter! Please, please review!


	3. Chapter 2

Wow, thanks for the reviews you wonderful people! I am so glad you all like the story so far.

**sunlightangels, shell, Desert Beauty, Hachimitsu-sama, liltiffany, rukiaichigo15chappy, Ice warrioress, LET'S BLEACH IT, Apathetically Concerned, Cherryblossom snow, DeviantHollow23, Lynn, CrystalICE1, Secret Starr, CharmedNightSkye, AnimeMaster24, and Goukatenshi. **

Special thanks to **AnimeMaster24 **for adding a review for the Prologue.

I have to apologize that I can't grant some requests though, Ulquiorra is an enemy in this story. And also, sorry for the OOC-ness. Please bear with me. :)

Disclaimer: Bleach will never be mine. Though I'm not dreaming it will be. A lot of the characters would be obliterated if I owned it. Haha. :)

* * *

Rukia's eyes widened. "U-Ulquiorra!"

Ulquiorra Schiffer started walking towards the petite shinigami. Rukia unsheathed her zanpakutou, although she knew it wouldn't really be of use. The man is so much more powerful than her.

"Kuchiki Rukia." Ulquiorra's unwavering emotionless voice called out. "Drop your sword. You know very well that you couldn't go against me. I do not wish to hurt you."

"Bastard," Rukia hissed. "Let _me _hurt you then!" Rukia raised her sword and shunpoed behind the stoic man. She plunged her zanpakutou at him, and was surprised as he blocked it with just the back of his hand.

Ulquiorra slowly turned towards her. "I repeat. Drop your sword. I do not wish to hurt you. I am here to discuss an important matter."

Rukia narrowed her eyes and returned to her previous position, standing in front of the emotionless arrancar, her zanpakutou in a defensive stance. "Why will I listen to an enemy? How are you even here in the first place? You are supposed to be dead!"

"Whoever said I was killed? That boy made the biggest mistake of his life when he didn't finish me off. He only had that one chance, and he let it go. I was dying, but the Hougyoku revived me."

"The…what?" Rukia's eyes widened.

"The Hougyoku."

"But…we thought the Hougyoku was destroyed with Aizen…"

"I had the Hougyoku before you killed Aizen-sama. I knew where it was kept. He entrusted it to me. I used it."

"Y-You…used the Hougyoku to revive yourself?"

"Do not embarrass yourself in front of me by such display of stupidity. Yes, that is what I said. And that is what I wish to discuss with you."

"M-me?"

"Yes. In order to fully harness the full power of the Hougyoku, it should be complete. Aizen-sama failed to find what would complete it and thus failed to awaken the Hougyoku to use its full potential. I, however, finally discovered where the remaining pieces of the Hougyoku are. And it is in you, Kuchiki Rukia."

Rukia's eyes widened even more, if that was possible.

"W-what?!"

"The pieces are within your soul, as the larger part of the Hougyoku is now in mine. I need to get the pieces together so I could awaken the Hougyoku."

"And…what are you planning to do? Kill me?"

"I didn't know stupidity was in your nature. Killing you would obliterate the pieces of the Hougyoku together with your soul. I found out that the only way to put the pieces back together is through a physical union between the soul carriers."

Rukia wouldn't deny it: She was afraid. Terrified, even. She knew what this man could do, and with the Hougyoku in his soul, she didn't even want to imagine what else he was now capable of doing. "And if I refuse?"

Using the same technique he did with Orihime (1), Ulquiorra showed Rukia the current state of her friends. There was Chad in a band rehearsal; Uryuu was sewing; the girls, Keigo, Mizuiro and Tatsuki were sleeping in their respective rooms; and Ichigo and Orihime were together…_kissing?!_

"Don't…Don't tell me…" Rukia trailed off.

"I would not hesitate to take the lives of these useless beings."

"What if…what if…"She knew she shouldn't voice the next thought out loud, and she didn't have to. Ulquiorra already knew.

"Do not even think about killing yourself. I repeat. I will not hesitate to take the lives of these useless beings."

There was no escape, Rukia thought. Killing herself would only provoke Ulquiorra to kill not only her friends, but everyone else, since if he couldn't complete the Hougyoku at all, there is no need to delay further the destruction of mankind. If she refused, he would certainly kill her friends, or anyone else for that matter, until she gave in.

'Wait a minute…If Ulquiorra is alone, I can get help from Soul Society…' Then, realization dawned upon Rukia.

"Soul Society…Y-You! You're the one who cut our ties with Soul Society!" Rukia accused the stoic man.

"I didn't know it would take you this long to figure that out."

"H-how?" Rukia tried to gain as much information as she could.

"Seeing as you wouldn't be able to speak these words to a soul, I will tell you what you wish to know. Before Octo Espada Szayel Aporro Granz was taken away by that Shinigami captain, he has been working on ways to block the communication between the living world and Soul Society. Your arrival in Las Noches interrupted him, and he wasn't able to complete it. He was almost finished with it when I found his work in his laboratory, and it didn't take me long finish it myself."

Rukia tried to absorb his words slowly. "What did you mean by _'you wouldn't be able to speak these words to a soul'_?"

"Just that. The moment you tell anyone about the matters we have discussed, be sure to prepare yourself to one of your…friends' funeral." Ulquiorra slowly walked towards the petite woman and grabbed her right wrist. He placed something bracelet-like which closely resembled the one he gave Orihime before she was abducted. "This will let me keep track of what you are doing. By now, you should know what would happen if you remove it."

"Why do you want to complete the Hougyoku? The large part is already with you; isn't that enough yet?!"

"The burial of the Hougyoku within my soul has its drawbacks, one of which you will see soon. I am not able to stay in the living world for long. When I exceed the time limit, I am automatically transported back to Hueco Mundo, and it will take 3 days before I could get here again, since the power of an incomplete Hougyoku is easily drained."

"How are you going to get the pieces out of my soul, then?"

"Physical union. If I had the powers of the Noveno Espada, Aaroniro Aruruerie, I would have just devoured your soul. But since I do not have the said ability, I need to use the only other way."

"W-what kind of physical union?" Rukia nervously asked.

Ulquiorra pointed his finger at the base of Rukia's throat—the same place where his hollow hole was located—and drew a circle, also of the same size as his hollow hole. "You will see soon." As soon as Ulquiorra withdrew his finger, blood started to flow from the cut his finger traced on Rukia's skin.

Rukia held on to her neck. She only felt him touch her skin—she didn't even know he was already wounding her!

Ulquiorra stood in his original position, hands in his pockets. "I will see you in 3 days." Then, his soul started to slowly dissipate, first becoming almost translucent to something transparent before vanishing completely.

It was nearing dawn, and Rukia mulled over her current predicament—an inescapable predicament. What could she do? She couldn't ask anyone for help…not her friends, not her nii-sama, not even Ichigo…then she remembered what she saw earlier—Ichigo and Orihime were kissing on his bed…And for the fourth time in 2 days, her heart broke…

* * *

Ichigo closed his eyed the moment he felt Orihime's lips touch his. She was probably the most gorgeous, not to mention the sexiest, woman in their campus, but why was it that he wasn't attracted to her? Why was he thinking of something else? Of _someone else_? Why was he thinking of someone with raven hair instead of auburn? Someone with a petite physique instead of a voluptuous body? Someone with bright amethyst eyes instead of dull gray? Why was he thinking of Rukia? No, no! He couldn't! He was still irritated with her, after all.

It was almost dawn, and he and Orihime haven't slept yet. They have been talking, well Orihime had been talking non-stop about how she had always dreamt of the day she and Ichigo would be together, how they would tell everyone at school, what Tatsuki would say, when they would get married and get super robots as househelpers—

Ichigo wasn't really listening anymore. He was too busy thinking of…other things. He was only brought back to reality when Orihime hovered above him, blushing madly, asking "Can I kiss you, Kurosaki-kun?"

And again, he couldn't say no, could he? So that was how they got into this…make-out session. Before it could escalate into something else, Ichigo gently pushed the buxom girl off him and told her they needed to sleep for school. Orihime, who seemed to be really happy (and still wide awake) nodded and plopped her head on his chest.

Morning soon came, and the grumpy carrot-top reluctantly got off his bed and stretched his muscles. Yuzu called out for breakfast outside his bedroom door. He quickly went to the bathroom to change into his school uniform. After he and Orihime were both ready, they trudged down the stairs towards the dining area.

The usual father-son morning ritual just had to take place first before anyone could sit quietly and eat breakfast.

A rather cheerful but clearly sleepless Rukia, who came down late, greeted everyone a good morning.

"Uh, Rukia-nee, isn't it a little…hot for you to be wearing a turtle neck?" Yuzu innocently asked.

Indeed, Rukia was wearing a long-sleeved turtle-neck shirt. The turtle-neck served as a cover-up for her wound, while under her right sleeve, she hid the bracelet.

Rukia blinked, feigning innocence. "Is it? I feel cold, Yuzu-chan."

Ichigo glanced at the raven-haired woman from the corner of his eyes. He felt like something was wrong. He just didn't know what it was.

"Oh, if that's the case then…wait, why aren't you in your uniform, Rukia-nee?"

"Oh, I'm not planning to go to school today. I have some…things to take care of."

"That's great, Rukia-chan! We can have some father-daughter bonding time!" Isshin interjected.

Rukia laughed nervously at Isshin. She felt Ichigo's stare on her, but she did her best to ignore him and avoided eye contact.

Karin watched the raven-haired woman closely. She saw the state the older woman was in when she came back earlier that morning, dressed in her black shihakusho. There was blood flowing down her neck to her chest, and her eyes…her eyes were red and puffy, like she just finished crying her heart out. When she came back to her body, she was shivering, and she was obviously afraid of something.

"Oh, will you look at the time! Ichigo, Orihime-chan, you better go now or you'll be late!" Isshin said.

Ichigo scowled then stood up. He wanted to know what the midget was up to. For all he knew, she might not even be there when he came home from school. She didn't look up at him all morning, nor talked to him. He glared at the petite woman before grabbing his bag and leaving.

A few minutes after the two left, Rukia stood up as well claiming to have a full stomach already. "Thank you so much for the meal! I'll go back to the room to finish something!" She eyed the newspaper on the table. "Oh, today's paper! I wonder what's on the news today!" She grabbed the newspaper and muttered a "see you later" before disappearing upstairs.

Rukia opened the newspaper and looked for an advertisement for a nearby apartment. She needed to find a place of her own. She needed to stay away from everyone else. She was so intent on finding an apartment advertisement that she failed to notice a presence by the doorway.

"So, Rukia-chan care to tell me what's wrong?" Isshin's face was serious.

"W-what do you mean oji-san?" Rukia beamed.

"You might fool that idiot son of mine, but you can't do the same to me, Rukia-chan."

"I…I'm fine, Kurosaki-san…" Rukia averted her gaze to the ground.

It was no secret from Isshin that Rukia has asked Urahara Kisuke to open the Senkaimon. What prompted the raven-haired shinigami, he didn't know. But he guessed it was because of his well-executed plan of letting Orihime stay with Ichigo and getting them together. He took Rukia's reaction to his plan as a good sign of how effective his plan was. And this particular thing hindered his brain from registering the tragedy Soul Society or their world could possibly face.

He grinned inwardly.

"Why do you wish to leave then, Rukia-chan?"

"I…I…" Rukia couldn't find the right words to say.

Again, Ishhin took Rukia's hesitance as a good sign. He would allow Rukia to leave them when she asked; it would only make his son miss the raven-haired woman, which will be a large part of his plan in making his son realize his true feelings.

"I need to find a place of my own, Kurosaki-san. If…if I'm going to stay longer in the living world, I couldn't possibly burden you with my presence. Besides, I need to learn how to be independent in this world…"

"Ah, I see. I understand, Rukia-chan, but never think that you are a burden. You are a part of this family."

"Arigatou, oji-san. Can I ask a favor, though? Could you…could you not mention this to Ichigo?"

"Of course, if that's what you want Rukia-chan."

Yes, Isshin thought, his plans were going really well. Oh, how wrong he was…

* * *

Urahara had been working hard in opening the portal. He has never left the underground training area since that day Rukia asked him to open the Senkaimon. He wasn't even able to speak to Isshin personally when the older Kurosaki came to visit him. It was Tessai who entertained the doctor and told him about Rukia coming to them, asking his manager to open the portal, to which Isshin seemed to be too happy about. Tessai even told him that his manager, or rather his captain now, was having trouble opening the gate, but because Urahara hadn't really left the gate since he started, Tessai wasn't able to give anymore information since he himself didn't know the situation.

After the Winter War, Urahara had been reinstated as the Juuni Bantai Taichou, and Kurotsuchi Mayuri had been his unwilling fukutaichou. Urahara chose to stay in the living world and left Kurotsuchi with all his work. Tessai, Ururu, Jinta and Kon who had been staying with them after the war, though all not having shinigami powers, were accepted into his squad, and the Urahara Shoten has been their office ever since.

Urahara concentrated his reiatsu yet again. He couldn't give up. He knew that whatever spell or something it was that was cast upon the gate, it wasn't unbreakable. It was weakening already. He confirmed this fact when the Senkaimon flickered to life for a brief moment a few hours ago. He would surely be able to contact Soul Society soon, and he didn't plan on taking a break until then.

* * *

Rukia walked through the town, eyeing signs of "Rooms for rent". She needed a place where she'll be comfortable—somewhere near her friends but also far enough to go by unnoticed.

She almost reached Karakura-cho's border when she felt someone grab her waist and carry her away from the crowd using exceptionally good shunpo. They stopped in one of the surrounding buildings' rooftop, where the man dropped Rukia down.

Rukia looked up at the tall man with maroon hair. He was the resident shinigami of Karakura-cho's neighboring town. "Ashido…"

* * *

(1) Yeah, I know that one probably worked because her friends were fighting with the members of the Espada and they have that ability to pass information to their brothers, so let's just say that for this story, Ulquiorra has the ability to see other people's states at the moment, only it requires a lot of his reiatsu so he doesn't use it often, ne?

I hope the appearance of Ashido in this story didn't take away your interest. I've been wanting to put Toushirou (I'm a HitsuRuki writer, need I say more? :)), I thought that maybe you guys wouldn't want it because they are an unconventional pair. I sooo don't want to put Renji in here so I settled for the only other person that has a kind of exclusive relationship with Rukia (since he only met the others through her, and Rukia promised she would return for him, right?).

I'm sorry for the spelling and grammar errors. Please review! Take care everyone! :)


	4. Chapter 3

Yay! An update! I would like to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter!

**CO Raven, rukiaichigo15chappy, sunlightangels, Darkmoon Fleur, CrystalICE1, Apathetically Concerned, Gouka-hime (I believe it was Goukatenshi before :)), Icewarrioress, AnimeMaster24, Hachimitsu-sama, RaiChia, and Lazy Mew.**

Special thanks to:

**mergel-tensai **for adding a review for Chapter 1.

**Lazy Mew **for adding reviews for both the Prologue and Chapter 1. And take care on your holiday. :)

* * *

"Ashido…"

The maroon-haired man nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"What brings you here?"

"I've been trying to contact Soul Society for the past few days and I've always failed. I think something is wrong, and I thought maybe you and your friends might have an idea about what's happening."

Rukia grimaced inwardly. Of course she knew what was wrong. She unconsciously fingered the bracelet under her sleeve. "I…We have no idea about what's going on yet, but Urahara…taichou said he's going to work on it."

She remembered that she was supposed to inform Ichigo about this yesterday, but forgot all about it as the carrot top snapped at her. Now, she saw no use in telling him, because she _was_going to keep them safe, no matter what the risk.

"I see. But I think it would be better for us to stick together. We'll never know when an attack is coming. We wouldn't want to be taken by surprise."

Rukia slightly brightened. Ah, an opportunity to get away. She didn't think of the risks it would bring both to her and to Ashido as she asked him if she could stay with him for a while, to which the maroon-haired man agreed without hesitation.

* * *

Ichigo scowled the whole day. Rukia didn't come to school with them to attend to some "business" that he badly wanted to know about, and the looks he had been getting from his schoolmates made the day even worse.

The moment he and Orihime entered their classroom, the buxom woman held his hand and dragged the carrot-top while greeting everyone with a cheery "Ohayou, minna-san!" Everyone stopped what they were doing at the moment and looked at them, and then on their intertwined fingers. Hoots and cheers soon followed. There were shout of "congratulations" and "I knew you two would end up together", while Keigo whined at the luck of his buddy, and Tatsuki threatened her childhood friend.

Ichigo was seriously regretting what he did last night. His anger towards the petite woman clouded his mind and made him agree to this…impasse. Now what? He didn't really like Orihime that way at all, and now she was officially his girlfriend. How would he tell Rukia? Ichigo scowled even harder at the thought. Would the midget even care? She seemed to be hell bent on pestering him and…pushing him away. The question was…_why?_ Her pushing him away didn't really have any connection whatsoever to her homesickness, right? His train of thoughts was cut by the ringing of the school bell, signaling the end of class.

Orihime approached the orange-haired teen who was hurriedly fixing his things. "Kurosaki-kun, I won't come home with you today. Tatsuki asked me out to dinner at their house, so maybe I won't be home until after that."

Ichigo merely grunted in reply.

Orihime averted her gaze to the ground. She's saw the detached look on his face the whole day. He was physically present, but his mind clearly drifted somewhere else…somewhere she couldn't reach. She needed advice from Tatsuki. Her mind was blank as to what to do with this carrot-top.

"Let's go, Orihime!" Tatsuki called out by the door way.

Orihime took a quick glance at her and turned back to Ichigo who was now standing up, ready to leave. "I…I'll see you later, Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime tilted her head and gave the orange-haired lad a kiss on the cheek.

Ichigo, however, didn't seem to care. He didn't even seem to notice that his girlfriend just kissed him. The only thought in his head was that he could finally talk to Rukia without Orihime around—it would be the perfect chance to clear things up with her...

* * *

Rukia stood in front of the Kurosaki house—the home that somehow welcomed her and made her feel warm. The thoughts of how to properly say goodbye swam through her head. Isshin already knew, so that was one problem solved. Karin wouldn't mind; Yuzu would probably cry. And Ichigo…would he jump with joy? He seemed to be adamant recently in pissing her off and…breaking her heart. Was it really okay for her to leave without making up with him? This was for his own good anyway, Rukia thought.

She entered the house and was greeted by a cheerful Yuzu. Rukia smiled at the sweet young girl and asked where Isshin was.

Yuzu led her to the clinic where Isshin and Karin were currently discussing something.

"Oh, my wonderful third daughter! Welcome home! How was your hunt? I sure hope you didn't find a place that fast so you could still stay with us longer!"

Yuzu looked at her father, then at Rukia. Karin seemed as equally confused as her twin.

"Otou-san, what do you mean? Rukia-nee, are you leaving us?" Yuzu asked.

"I…Well…Yeah…I think this is for the better, Yuzu-chan… Don't worry though, I'll visit once in awhile." Rukia replied.

"But why are you leaving Rukia-nee?" Yuzu was now teary-eyed.

"I found an old friend along the way and that friend of mine told me I could stay in his place. I think I overstayed here already, and now that I have some place to stay, I don't wish to burden you any further." Rukia patted the young girl's head.

Isshin frowned lightly. Not only was he wrong about expecting that she couldn't find a place to stay in that fast, but she was also staying with a _him. _"Who is this friend, Rukia-chan?"

Rukia, mistaking Isshin's curiosity as concern, answered, "A fellow shinigami, oji-san. He'll be coming over later to pick me up, so you'll meet him…"

Karin frowned at this. What was this woman up to? She knew that it hurt Rukia to live under the same roof as Ichi-nii and Orihime, but she didn't think it would be enough to drive her into leaving. Karin thought for sure that Rukia loved her Ichi-nii and wouldn't give up without a fight, so what was going on now? "You're leaving tonight?"

Yuzu, Isshin and Rukia all looked at Karin. This was the first time she directly addressed a question to the raven-haired woman ever since she found out about the shinigami stuff.

Rukia's heart ached a little bit more. Great, there's another one joining Ichigo at his party after she left… "Uh…Y-Yeah…"

"Could you at least stay for dinner? And maybe that friend of yours would want to stay as well. We need to know him first before we entrust you to him, Rukia-chan. You are my third daughter, after all."

"O-okay…But he's a good guy. I can assure you that. Uhm, if you'll excuse me, I need to go pack my things." Rukia left the three just in time to see Ichigo enter the door. The carrot-top immediately spotted her.

"Oi, Rukia. Mind telling me where you've been?"

Rukia shrugged. "Just around town." She climbed upstairs to the twins' bedroom, Ichigo at her heels. "How's school?"

Ichigo frowned. He wanted answers from her. "It was fine. What did you do around town?"

"Just strolled around." Rukia reached for her bag and opened it. "Where's Orihime?"

Ichigo was starting to get irritated again. She wasn't even answering him properly, and she dared ask questions of her own?! "Out. With Tatsuki. What are you doing?"

Rukia took her clothes out of the twins' closet and put it in her bag. "What does it look like, baka? I'm packing."

Ichigo's heart clenched. "Packing? Why?"

Rukia paused for a while, remembering the words he told her the day before. "Weren't you the one who's so excited to get rid of me? Why do you seem surprised? Didn't expect your wish to come true sooner?" Rukia's voice dripped with bitterness and pain that the orange-haired idiot took as some sort of mockery.

"Oh yeah? And where are you going? Don't you dare come asking me to take you back when you end up sleeping on the streets."

Rukia felt a searing pain in her chest. "Didn't I tell you, Ichigo? That I'll be leaving soon and you'll never see any sign of me again? I don't toy around with words Ichigo. When I say something, I mean it."

Ichigo's eyes widened. He never imagined everything to come to this. It was just a senseless argument that turned to a full-blown fight! And what he said was just out of frustration. He hadn't meant any of them! And now what? Could he handle a life without Rukia? Without the person who gave him the power to protect? Without the person who could knock some sense into him when he desperately needed it? Without the person he…cared for the most?

Rukia looked at the orange-haired teen, baffled by his silence. 'I'm sorry, Ichigo…But this is for the best. I'm doing this to protect you…I don't know in what way, but if doing this would prolong your lives, then I'm going to give my all for it. At the end of it all, if I survive this, we'll still be fighting for the same cause…We'll still see be together…' She looked away as tears stung her eyes.

A knock on the door ended the silence that consumed the room. Yuzu entered and said, "Your friend is here, Rukia-nee."

Ichigo's head snapped up. 'Friend? Who the hell is this friend?'

"Thanks, Yuzu. I'll be down in a while."

Yuzu nodded and left the room. Rukia put the last of her things inside her bag and stood up. She walked towards the door but paused before opening it. "Take care of your family and Orihime, Ichigo. You're the only one they can depend on." Rukia walked out of the room and climbed downstairs.

Ashido was just making his way towards the living room, led by Karin, when the raven-haired woman reached it.

Isshin's eyes widened. "Ashido!"

Ashido bowed."It's been a while, Kurosaki-taichou."

Rukia blinked. "You know each other"

Ashido nodded. "I was in Kurosaki-taichou's division before."

"How… I mean, we all thought you were gone. You and you friends…" Isshin trailed off.

"We…we went to Hueco Mundo that day we disappeared. My friends…they all died there."

"I-It's a good thing you managed to survive and come back."

Ashido glanced at Rukia. "She helped me."

Isshin's mind was in overdrive. Ashido was one of his most loyal subordinates, and he didn't have anything to say against the man. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He could trust the guy to take care of Rukia…but what if something more than "taking care of Rukia" transpired between them? It is possible for him to…fall in love with the woman, right? Or was he already…?

Ichigo arrived at the living room at that moment, eager to find out who this 'friend' was. He caught sight of the familiar maroon hair. Ichigo scowled harder. This was the guy she stubbornly insisted on saving despite her condition before they left Hueco Mundo. And because he couldn't leave her on her own (not after her almost death in the hand of that Noveno Espada bastard!), he went back to the Forest of Menos with her to save this guy who now planned on taking her away from him.

"So, this is the friend you're talking about? You sure you're going to live with him?" Ichigo scoffed. "You think it's safe to live with a guy on your own?"

Rukia glanced at him. Now what was he implying? Rukia opened her mouth to retort when she was cut off by the maroon-haired man.

"I don't see anything wrong with that. I am her boyfriend, after all." Ashido deadpanned.

Rukia, Yuzu and Karin—yes, even Karin!—gaped at him. Ichigo glared daggers at him, while Isshin watched in amusement as his son turned into a green-eyed monster.

Orihime entered the Kurosaki house then, greeting everyone on her way to the living room. She noticed the tension, and saw her boyfriend glaring at the tall man whom she recognized as the man from Hueco Mundo.

Rukia, who finally got over the shock of Ashido's words, turned to the buxom woman. "Oh, hi Orihime."

"What's going on, Kuchiki-san?"

"Uh…Nothing big." Rukia looked back at the Kurosaki's. "I think we better go now. Thank you so much for everything."

"Rukia-nee, visit us everyday, okay?" Yuzu said.

Rukia chuckled. "I'll try."

Ashido picked up Rukia's bags and bowed before making his way towards the door.

Rukia made the move to follow him when Ichigo caught her arm. Everyone stopped and looked at him curiously. Ichigo, whose head was bent down and whose eyes were obscured by his bangs, pulled the petite woman towards him and whispered something in her ear.

Rukia's eyes widened, before she closed them to stop her tears from coming. She lifted her free hand and gently slid Ichigo's hand off her arm. Amethyst met Amber. Rukia slowly turned around and followed Ashido to the door, Ichigo's words ringing in her ears.

_When you walk out that door, everything will be over…_

Ichigo watched as the two walked out. The moment she stepped out of the house, Ichigo knew he had lost her…

* * *

There. I hope this chapter is better than the previous. Please, please review! The reviews push me to update sooner. :) Take care everyone and thanks for the time! :)


	5. Chapter 4

Thank you so much to the support you guys gave this fic. I am so happy beyond words! That is why I updated sooner! (Hey, it didn't take me one week to post this! Hooray! :))

Thanks to those who reviewed the previous the chapter:** Lazy Mew, sunlightangels, Xcal, Ichiruki, RaiChia, somebody, LET's BLEACH IT, rukia death kuchiki, AnimeMaster24, narquotic, shell, Hana-Tenshi, Hachimitsu-sama, Apathetically concerned, Gouka-hime, CrystalICE1, CO Raven, rukiaichigo15chappy, CharmedNightSkye, Anon, Lynn,** and** kaijin-taichou.**

Special thanks to:

**Ichiruki **for reviewing the Prologue, Chapter 1, and 2.

**rukia death kuchiki **for reviewing Chapter 2.

**Hana-Tenshi **for reviewing the Prologue.

I hope everyone would stick around through the ups and downs of this fic (I can't always guarantee an awesome chapter…) Again, thanks for the time! :)

I'm sorry I couldn't reply to your reviews, but please know that they are all appreciated! :)

I also would like to thank everyone who put this story in their Alerts and Favorites.

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine.

Again, I apologize for the OOC-ness, typos and grammatical errors. :)

* * *

The two shinigami walked in silence. Ashido glanced at his petite companion, wondering what the orange-haired kid told her to make her so flustered. After several more minutes of nothing but the sound of the breeze, the maroon-haired man finally asked, "What did he tell you?"

Rukia's head snapped up. She looked at him and shook her head. "Nothing important."

"Hn." Ashido didn't want to press the matter any further. If she wasn't willing to talk about it, then it was fine with him. "I switched places with the resident shinigami of this town." He said, trying to change the subject.

"Huh? Isn't that…forbidden?"

"We have no contact with Soul Society right now, and he doesn't seem to mind being transferred. I told him about the situation. Also, I think it's better for you to still stay close to your friends, but far enough to hide from…whatever it is you're running away from."

"W-what?! I am not running away from anything!" Rukia huffed. "You will be in trouble when you return to Soul Society, you know."

Ashido just shrugged lightly.

Rukia smiled a little. "Why did you say you were my boyfriend? I don't think they believed you."

Ashido looked at the raven-haired woman from the corner of his eye. "Your friend did."

Rukia paused. "What made you say that?"

The maroon-haired man, who was now three steps ahead of Rukia, glanced at her over his shoulder. "I think the glare he sent my way was a give-away."

"He glares at everyone. Don't mind him." Rukia resumed walking, and the mood seemed to revert back and caused them to be engulfed in uncomfortable silence once again.

Ashido sighed softly to himself. "You know, I just learned what that word meant yesterday."

It was now Rukia's turn to glance back at the man who stayed rooted to his spot. "Huh? Which one?"

"Boyfriend."

Rukia chuckled lightly before playfully narrowing her eyes. "Are you sure we're on the same page? You might be thinking of something different."

Ashido gave her a small smile, then shrugged as he walked past her.

If only for a moment, his presence could make her forget the pain she felt. If only for a moment…

* * *

Silence reigned the Kurosaki house. Only the clanking of plates and utensils could be heard as no one dared to utter a single word during dinner. Karin warily eyed the occupants of the table—did that woman have this much effect on her family? She looked at her Ichi-nii who, though he tried hard to deny it, seemed to be affected the most. She had never seen her older brother this…serious and quiet. Her girlfriend kept on glancing at him, looking rather hesitant in saying something. Yuzu was still sad, tear stains visible on her fair, young face. Her dad's expression, on the other hand, was neutral.

Karin coughed to attract attention and said, "Orihime-chan, I think you can stay in our room now." It was the best option they had. Knowing her Ichi-nii, he might want his peace to think things over.

Orihime glanced yet again at Ichigo who remained oblivious to the conversation—and on how he was so openly hurting her—and then nodded at his dark-haired younger sister. "I-I'd love to, Karin-chan."

Ichigo suddenly stood up and everyone looked up at him. "I'm tired. I'll go to sleep." Those were the only words he muttered ever since a certain raven-haired shinigami left the comforts of the Kurosaki home.

The carrot-top entered his room and locked the door to make sure no one would disturb his much wanted peace. He plopped down on his bed and stared at the ceiling, pondering the events of that night. 'Why did I say _that_? I make it sound like there's something else between us other than friendship… Did I…did I just end our friendship then? Oh great. That's the only thing left between us, and I managed to ruin it.' He slapped his forehead and groaned.

He averted his gaze to the bright full moon shining outside his window. 'Have I really lost her? And…is that guy really her…? She would've told me if he was, right? Freakin' genius, Ichigo! You haven't even told her about you and Inoue!' He let out an exasperated sigh. 'Why am I thinking of this? Why am I even affected? Of course, because she's my friend. I…I'm just worried if she's doing the right thing…Of course she is! You pushed her away, you idiot!' He covered his head with a pillow to muffle his frustrated growls.

Orihime laid wide awake on her new bed. She was thinking of a certain carrot-top whose restless and fluctuating reiatsu made it hard for her to go to sleep. Her mind drifted back to her earlier conversation with Tatsuki.

* * *

_"I see." Tatsuki replied as Orihime finished recounting the current behavior of her boyfriend towards the raven-haired woman._

_Orihime smiled sadly. "As much as I hate to admit it, I know he said those things out of frustration for her continued disregard of his…feelings."_

_Tatsuki nodded. "Perhaps. But that doesn't mean you have to give up. Take it as an opportunity to make your feelings known to him!"_

_Orihime shook her head. "He knows my feelings, Tatsuki-chan. The problem is he doesn't seem to know his."_

_Tatsuki groaned at her best friend. "Don't lose hope, Orihime. He might like Kuchiki-san, but who knows? He might grow out of it soon, since they're sort of drifting apart."_

_Orihime stared at her tea cup. "What should I do?"_

_"Fight for him."_

* * *

Orihime stared at the wall that divided Ichigo's room from the twins'. Tears flowed freely out of her gray orbs as she continued to sense the orange-haired man's unstable reiatsu. 'I'm afraid I'm fighting a battle that never really existed…'

..

..

..

Rukia rolled for the umpteenth time that morning. She couldn't sleep well and stayed awake for almost half the night. She blamed it on her new surroundings. It would've been much better sleeping in her warm, cozy bed or in the confines of her closet. She missed the twins' room…she missed her closet…she missed— She rolled again to dismiss the thought. Finally giving up on trying to get more sleep, she sat up on her futon and then stood up. As she stepped out of the room, the smell of good food wafted through the air and reached her nose. Her feet carried her towards the kitchen where Ashido was cooking breakfast.

"Hey. Didn't know you can cook." Rukia stood beside him, glancing at the food he prepared.

"I wouldn't survive if I didn't."

Oh, right. Of course, Rukia was never left alone for her to need to learn how to cook. During her days in Rukongai, all they ever consumed to survive was water. After being adopted by the Kuchiki clan, she never really learned such 'trivial' things, as the elders call it, such as cooking. All she needed to do for them was become a good shinigami.

"Why aren't you in your uniform?" The maroon-haired man asked, breaking her thoughts.

"Huh? Why should I? I'm not going to school anymore. I don't see any reason to endure the torture."

"I think you should still go."

Rukia looked at him. She didn't know much about this guy, but she could tell he was serious about it. "Why?"

"Your friends are there. You should protect them. We'll never know when an attack comes." He got the plates and utensils and set them on the table with the food.

"Ichigo's there. He can handle anything." Rukia grumbled as she made her way to the table.

"That kid's far too young to be left alone without assistance and guidance. Besides, they are not just his friends, but yours, too, so you still have an obligation to protect them."

Rukia frowned a little. She wanted to retort, but seeing as this was a sensitive topic (since the man had lost his friends in Hueco Mundo), she kept her mouth shut. If she was to see Ichigo in school, what would be the use of leaving their house? Great, this guy didn't leave room for argument. She unconsciously started poking her food as she thought of ways to escape.

"I'll go with you."

Rukia stopped poking her food and looked up at him. "Huh?"

"I have nothing better to do, might as well go with you to school."

Rukia considered this for a moment, then finally gave up with a sigh. "Fine."

* * *

Everyone waited for their teacher to come for first period. It was still a little early for classes to begin, but the students were already inside the room.

"ICHIGOOOO!"

The said carrot top scowled as he felt a body attach itself onto his back. "Get off, Keigo." He growled.

"Oh, Ichigo! You're so grumpy. Do you know where the lovely Kuchiki-san is? I haven't seen her for days!" Keigo whined.

Keigo looked at Ichigo, then around the room as it fell silent. He saw Orihime blinking innocently up at him, a hint of sadness in her gray orbs, Tatsuki glaring daggers at him for upsetting her best friend, and the rest just staring at him. He instantly got off Ichigo and put his hand behind his head. "Oh, right. Sorry about that."

Just then, the classroom door opened, and in went the subject of their conversation, followed by her maroon-haired companion.

"Kuchiki-saaaan!" Keigo practically flew towards the direction of the petite woman who just smiled nervously at him.

Rukia felt the stares of her classmates both on her and on her friend. "Ohayou, minna-san!" She greeted them in her practiced high-pitched voice.

"Ano, Kuchiki-san…who is he?" Mizuiro, who has been silently watching the events unfold, voiced out the question for the whole class.

"Oh, he is a transfer student…just like me!"

"What's his name?" Mahana asked, then the girls behind her giggled.

The maroon-haired man turned towards them and bowed slightly. "Ashido."

Everyone was still looking at him expectantly, as if he left a question hanging in the air. Rukia looked at them. Oh, his surname. They were waiting for his surname. But he doesn't have a surname, does he? 'After all, he didn't have a family to name him in Soul Society, just like me before I was adopted into the Kuchiki clan.' Rukia mused.

When no one spoke for a moment, Mahana continued, "Ashido…?"

Ashido innocently looked at them. "Yes?"

The girls giggled and blushed. Before Mahana could ask again, Ochi-sensei entered the room. She immediately welcomed the new student and asked him to sit beside Rukia.

During the whole exchange, no one noticed how a certain orange-haired man shot death glares at the newcomer, while an auburn-haired girl watched sadly as her object of affection seemed to ignore her existence...

..

..

..

Lunch time soon came, and as Rukia and Ashido were about to stand up and leave the room, a familiar ear-splitting scream reached their ears. Before Rukia could sprint out, Ashido grabbed her arm. "I'll get this one." And without another word, the maroon-haired man ran out of the school premises in pursuit of the hollow.

Rukia sighed and started her way out the door. As soon as she made a step out, a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist and dragged her away. She saw a familiar orange head, then she let her eyes trace his body, his arm, his hand on her wrist…She nervously prayed that he didn't notice or that he didn't know what the use is of the metal bracelet on her wrist.

"What are you doing, Ichigo? Let me go!" She tried wiggling his hand off her, but he didn't budge.

"We need to talk." The carrot top replied.

"No, we don't. There's nothing to talk about." Rukia frowned. She should've tried harder to convince Ashido into not coming to school.

Ichigo suddenly stopped walking when they reached the farthest room on that side of the building. When he was sure it was empty, he shoved the petite woman inside, and followed. "Listen, Rukia—"

"No." Rukia made a move towards the door when Ichigo grabbed her by the shoulders and pinned her to the wall.

"You _will _listen to me no matter what. I…" He took a deep breath and tightly closed his eyes. "I'm sorry!"

Rukia looked at him in complete bafflement. "W-what?"

"I said I'm sorry, Rukia. About everything I've said. I…I didn't mean any of those. I was just…I don't know, dammit! Just…please, Rukia. We're friends, right? We shouldn't be like this…"

Rukia's eyes softened. She badly wanted to comfort him, to tell him everything was okay, that she wasn't mad, and they would be friends no matter what. But she couldn't. Nothing was alright.

Ichigo stared at the figure before him. It felt like it was too long ago when he was this close to the raven-haired woman. And he had been missing—no, craving for her presence to fill the void in his heart…for her voice to ease and lull his restless spirit…to drown himself in her amethyst pools.

Rukia continued to contemplate what she should do. She couldn't stand losing Ichigo as a friend if that was all there ever will be between them, but she couldn't risk his safety as well. Before she could decide on what actions to take, she felt his arms wrap around her. She tensed for a second before finally relaxing in his embrace, and eventually, returning it…

* * *

Orihime and Tatsuki were making their way towards the school grounds to eat lunch with the girls. Orihime was staring off in the distance—she hadn't uttered a word since that morning, or rather, since Rukia showed up. A piece of paper flew out of Orihime's open bag, and Tatsuki bent down to pick it up.

"Hey, Orihime?"

Orihime stopped and glanced at her. "Yes, Tatsuki-chan?"

"This is our assignment, right? Why didn't you pass it?"

It took a moment for Orihime's clouded mind to register what her best friend just said. "Oh, I guess I wasn't listening when it was collected."

"There's Ochi-sensei. Go pass it to her!" Tatsuki gave the paper back to the auburn-haired girl and pushed her towards the direction of their teacher. "I'll just see you there."

Orihime nodded. "Sensei!"

"Yes, Inoue?" The teacher inquired.

"I…I kind of forgot to pass the assignment earlier. I'm sorry."

Ochi-sensei blinked. "Oh…I hope it's not some sort of scheme or excuse for not finishing it earlier." She joked. "Anyway, I left the files in my room, so just put it on my table. It's the second to the last door in the left wing."

"H-hai." Orihime made her way towards the sensei's room. The hallway was empty as the students were all outside eating their lunch. She entered Ochi-sensei's room and placed her paper on top of a pile on her desk and went out. Just when she was about to turn back to where she came from, she noticed that the door of the room next to Ochi-sensei's was open, and out of curiosity, she peeked in—only to find Ichigo and Rukia in a tight embrace.

She couldn't suppress the gasp that escaped her mouth. And that soft gasp was enough to alert the occupants of the room that another person was with them. They broke apart to see who the intruder was. Amethyst orbs widened upon the realization of what had come to pass. She looked straight into tear-filled gray orbs. "O-Orihime!"

The moment her name escaped the petite woman's lips, Orihime ran away…

* * *

Okaaay. I personally don't like Orihime, but I think it's only fair to know her side of the story. I know this chapter isn't great, but I hope you'll still review. :) Take care everyone! :)


	6. Chapter 5

Yay! The 21st review for the previous chap just came in, so here's an update for everyone!

Before anything else, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to everyone who reads and takes the time to review this fic.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chap: **Gouka-hime, Lazy Mew, Hana-Tenshi, CrystalICE1, CO Raven, Ponget15, Bleachy-nii, kaijin-taichou, Hachimitsu-sama, rukiaichigo15chappy, somebody, LET's BLEACH IT, Cherryblossom snow, AnimeMaster24, Lori, Tech87655255258, RiaChia, rukia death kuchiki,** **da archer, Lynn **and** icia.**

Special thanks to:

**Sakura1009 **for reviewing the prologue.

I would like to especially thank someone who's keeping track of my progress. –cough-**AnimeMaster24**–cough-

Please check out **Lazy** **Mew**'s latest story, **The Art Of Loving** (an IchiRuki fic). And read her **Final Distance**, too. It's one of my faves! :)

Oh, and I'm planning to change the rating of this story to **M** (not because there would be lemons. I just want to play safe. :))

Enough said. Let's get on with the story. Again, sorry for the OOC-ness.

Disclaimer: I will never own Bleach.

* * *

"O-Orihime!"

Rukia contemplated whether or not she should follow the buxom girl. If she was in Orihime's shoes, would she want comfort from the woman she caught hugging her boyfriend? Hell, no. The raven-haired woman sighed then looked expectantly at the dumbfounded orange-haired lad beside her.

Ichigo, being the inexperienced first-time boyfriend that he was, really had no idea what he was supposed to do. He was just caught in another woman's arms, and his girlfriend ran away. He wasn't insensitive. He knew it hurt Orihime to a certain extent; it was just that he really didn't want to leave the petite woman's side, especially now that they were finally in good terms, and that being in her arms felt so…right. So when the owner of those comfortable arms looked at him, expecting him to do something—something he didn't know—he just blinked at her. "What?"

Rukia sighed exasperatedly. "You idiot. Go after Orihime."

"But…why?"

"What do you mean 'why'? It's because it's clear that she misunderstood what she saw. Now go after your girlfriend before I kick your sorry ass to wherever she is at this moment."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at her. "How did you know?"

Rukia groaned. The more he delayed following Orihime, the more the poor girl's heart would break. "Know what? And will you start moving already?"

"That she's my…uh…girlfriend. And I'm not moving until you answer." Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest defiantly.

Rukai mentally cursed herself. Great, she just let her tongue slip. "Well…I…uhm…It's obvious you idiot! I-I knew from the very start that you two would end up together. And i-it's easy to see that you two are…i-in l-love."

Ichigo scowled at what she said. Liar, he mused. How could she know _from the very start_ that they would end up together when it was as clear and as vibrant as his orange hair that he showed not even the smallest interest toward the auburn-haired woman? "You're lyi--" He didn't get to finish his retort as the petite woman was kicking his shins to make him start walking.

"I. Said. Go. Now!" Rukia growled.

"Ow! Dammit! Fine!" Ichigo said through gritted teeth, trying to evade the blows as much as he could. He was practically kicked out of the room by the midget shinigami, and because he still loved his now battered and bruised shins, he obeyed the woman's request, err, command. He walked through the hallways, taking his sweet time in searching for his buxom girlfriend.

Rukia watched his retreating form. True, it pained her to imagine the two of them together, much more to actually see them, but it also hurt her to see the saddened gray orbs of her dear friend, especially since she was the cause of that sadness. She knew that Ichigo's embrace was nothing more than a friendly gesture. Heck, he might even be acting based on pure instincts alone. But when she returned the hug for the briefest of moments, she hoped to whoever god out there that it was more than just a gesture of comfort…that she and Ichigo were—but no; it was Orihime herself who brought her back to reality. That reality came crashing down on her, and the impact was just…unbearable. The guilt, the sorrow, the pain, the realization that they could never be struck her all at once, and it took all of her willpower not to cry as she pushed him away from her and towards the woman who deserved him…who loved him unconditionally…who belongs to his world…and, she presumed, the woman he cared for the most.

"You shouldn't have done that if it hurt you." A voice from behind her called out.

"I had to. What do you know anyway, Ashido?" Rukia turned to look at the man hiding in the shadows. "And when did you get here? You do know it's rude to listen to other people's conversations, right?"

Ashido shrugged. "Just now. And I didn't really intend to listen to you. It just so happened that I was looking for you and that you were with that kid when I found you."

"Why were you looking for me?" Rukia asked.

"A little boy with red hair ran into me after I killed the hollow, and he was saying something like you should meet with Urahara-taichou tomorrow."

"Jinta? Urahara calls for me? I mean Urahara-taichou…"

"I guess so. That's what he said."

Now what could that self-proclaimed handsome businessman want with her?

With her mind still in a blur, thinking of what was currently happening between an orange-haired idiot and his lovely auburn-haired girlfriend, Rukia dismissed the thoughts of the suddenness of _this meeting_ with Urahara…

* * *

Ichigo cursed under his breath. Orihime sure knew how to hide. He ran a hand through his orange locks as he continued to find the buxom woman. All his efforts were in vain, as he had not even the slightest glimpse of the said girl.

The classes went by rather quickly for everyone, with Tatsuki glaring daggers at Ichigo, Rukia looking worriedly out the classroom windows, Ashido silently observing, Ichigo nervously scratching the back of his head every now and then, and a certain seat in the class now unoccupied.

The bell finally rang, and Tatsuki wasted no time confronting her orange-haired childhood friend of what idiocy he had done this time to make Orihime run away. Grabbing Ichigo by the collar of his uniform, Tatsuki shoved him on his desk.

"What did you do?!" She yelled. Those who were still in the room stopped what they were doing and watched the commotion.

Ichigo scowled at her. He knew how much Tatsuki cared for Orihime, but this was their business, not hers. And telling her the details would only involve Rukia, and he didn't want the raven-haired woman to get into trouble with Tatsuki. "Nothing."

"Liar! Why would she run away?!"

Rukia watched as the childhood friends fought. It was partly her fault, although Ichigo initiated everything. She shouldn't have returned the embrace—she should've pushed him away. But she didn't. "A-Arisawa-san, I—"

"Shut up! Mind your own business!" Tatsuki was beyond furious now. Her best friend was missing, and her best friend's boyfriend was acting super cool about it. Then this woman—this woman whom she highly suspected of being involved in whatever the reason was that made Orihime run away—just had to intervene.

Ichigo scowled harder. Nice going in that _Do Not Involve Rukia _plan. "I should say the same to you, Tatsuki."

"What?!" Tatsuki spat back.

"Whatever the problem was should just remain between me and Inoue. You don't need to know." He uncurled her fists which were still tightly clutching his shirt's collar. He straightened his uniform and gathered his things.

Tatsuki turned to glare at Rukia. She was clearly blinded by rage, and desperately needed someone to blame.

Rukia was taken aback by the look Tatsuki gave her. She had never seen the woman this angry before. And before she could say anything to appease the short-haired woman, an arm was wrapped protectively around her waist. Rukia looked at the hand resting on her side, then looked up at the maroon-haired man who owned it. He was staring at Tatsuki, his nonchalance seemed to dare her to do something.

There was a collective gasp from the other remaining occupants of the room, followed by whispers and murmurs of 'I told you they were an item!' and 'They look good together!'

Tatsuki, who must've come to her senses, blinked at the pair. If they were together, then…She turned back at the orange-haired man who was now glaring holes at the classroom floor, and whose fists were clenching and unclenching. She didn't fully comprehend what was going on, but if this new student and Kuchiki-san were indeed an item, it only meant that everything was Ichigo's fault alone. She went over to her desk to gather her things up and started walking towards the door, only to stop a few inches from it. "Find her, Ichigo. Or else, I swear I'll kill you." With that said, she left the classroom.

The crowd who watched the whole ruckus started dissipating, and soon, only Rukia, Ashido and Ichigo were there.

"I…I'll help you look for her, Ichigo." Rukia suggested.

Ichigo merely gave her a sideways glance and then nodded.

Rukia turned to the maroon-hired man beside her. "I can't come home with you yet. I need to find our friend."

Ichigo winced at what she said. _Home… _So she had found a new home…a home with _this _guy.

Ashido gave her a small smile. "I'll help."

The three exited the school only to find Ishida and Chad waiting for them. The two wanted to help find Inoue as well, so they waited for them until the commotion caused by Tatsuki was over.

..

..

..

The five took separate paths and started the search. It was way past sunset, and it was already dark out in the streets. It was safe to say that it wasn't the appropriate time to let a rather defenseless girl like Orihime wander alone (despite having the Shun Shun Rikka, she isn't really capable of protecting herself especially when the enemies are mere humans—she doesn't have the heart to hurt them).

Ishida looked at her apartment; Chad checked the Kurosaki home; Ashido, now in shinigami form, was jumping from roof to roof for better view; and Rukia went to the park. But not one of them could find a trace of the auburn-haired girl.

Ironically enough, the man who gave her the reason to run away was the same man who found her.

Orihime stood in front of her brother's grave, crying her heart, out when Ichigo found her. His heart was overwhelmed with pity at the sight. What bothered him was that besides pity, and perhaps sympathy, there was nothing else he felt for the woman at present. Not the guilt that he was supposed to feel, and not the love he was supposed to give back in return to hers. Was it really okay to go through this relationship when he clearly knew he doesn't feel the same for her? No, of course it wasn't. And he should tell her that. Now. But when those tear-filled, red and puffy gray orbs looked at him, Ichigo's resolve shattered at once. He couldn't stand breaking this girl any further than he already did. And if that meant pretending—lying—then so be it.

"Inoue…about earlier, it was just—"

"Kurosaki-kun…I'm sorry for running away. Did I…Did I scare you?"

In truth, Ichigo was worried about his friend when she didn't show up for their next period after lunch. But he wasn't about to let her know that. So thinking it would be okay to say it, or rather not thinking at all, he said. "Nah."

Orihime's hand, which was clutching her bag's handle, tightened its grip. "Oh…"

Teras started flowing freely down her cheeks again, and seeing this, Ichigo walked towards her a bit closer and awkwardly patted her back.

Orihime couldn't take it anymore. How much more pain does she have to endure just to be with her Kurosaki-kun? She lunged herself at him and embraced him tightly.

Feeling the wetness on the front of his shirt, perhaps the cloth absorbing the girl's tears, Ichigo wrapped his arms back around his girlfriend, trying his best to soothe her. Maybe…maybe it was time to…give _them _a try? With pity being the most dominant emotion at the moment, Ichigo tightened his embrace and kissed the girl's head…

..

..

..

Rukia was still running around like a madwoman, desperate to find her lost friend, when she chanced upon _the spectacle_. She smiled sadly at the two, feeling the pain of seeing it this close a hundredfold worse than seeing it through that Espada. They were indeed a majestic sight, with the full moon casting its magnificent glow on them. She would've been touched by the scene if she was an artist…or a romance novel writer…or a passerby…or anyone else for that matter. But no, she wasn't anyone else. She was Kuchiki Rukia. And because she was Kuchiki Rukia, her heart was torn apart at the sight of the man she loved kissing another woman…

* * *

Everything seemed pretty normal in school the next day. Tatsuki apologized and thanked Ichigo after she lightly berated her buxom best friend for running away. Orihime was smiling like her usual cheery self; Ichigo was donning his usual frown; and Rukia was talking…with Keigo?! Hold up. Not only Keigo, but with Mizuiro, Ishida, Chad, and everyone else! Everyone else but Ichigo! And she wasn't even wearing that fake cheerful façade of hers, nor was she using that irritating high-pitched voice—she was actually revealing her true self to everyone! Was she mad at him? For what? Ichigo casually strode towards Rukia's desk to settle things between them. "Oi, Rukia."

Rukia looked up at him and blinked. "What is it, Ichigo?" She called her Ichigo—in front of the whole class—and she didn't shout at him! There was no trace of anger or anything.

So, nope. She wasn't mad at him. Then why was she suddenly letting everyone else enter her world which was once exclusively for him and him alone? Why was this even getting him all worked up? Was he jealous because she trusted these people now, unlike before when her only friend in the living world was him?

"Oi, baka! Don't space out on me!" Rukia's voice broke through his thoughts.

Ichigo scratched the back of his head. "Uh…Yeah, sorry. Well…Uh…Yuzu misses you," he blurted out all of a sudden. "She told me to ask you to come to dinner tonight." It was actually true since Yuzu had been bugging him about her Rukia-nee's condition, although it wasn't what he planned on telling her.

"Oh, I would love to come…but, I have somewhere else I have to be tonight." Rukia reluctantly replied.

"It's fine. Next time then, alright?" Ichigo's hands inside his pockets were already clenched into tight fists. He wanted to know if she was in some way going out with that Ashido bastard tonight. And the said bastard was sitting coolly at his chair, staring at him nonchalantly.

"Okay." She turned her attention back to Mahana's group.

..

..

..

Rukia immediately went to the Urahara Shoten right after school. With much prodding from her and a promise to take care of herself, Ashido reluctantly agreed to go home instead of accompanying her there like he originally planned on doing. She found Urahara Kisuke himself waiting for her in one of the shop's many rooms where Tessai led her in.

"Ah, good to see you, Kuchiki-san." Urahara said in his usual cheery tone.

"What's wrong Urahara? Why did you call for me?"

Urahara raised his cane to Rukia's forehead and pushed her soul out of her gigai.

"Ow." Rukia rubbed her offended forehead. "What was that for?"

"Ururu!" Urahara sweetly called out.

The timid young girl entered the room and Urahara gave her a look that said _'you know what to do'_. Ururu simply nodded and picked up Rukia's gigai.

"Hey! I bought that! Why are you taking it back?"

"Ah, don't worry Kuchiki-san. This store has a _no return _policy, so we're not taking it back. Ururu is only making sure it's in safe condition while I run a few tests on you."

"Tests? For what?" Rukia suspiciously asked.

Urahara turned slightly serious. "We should make sure that all the shinigami here in the living world are geared up to fight when the time comes, and I am making it my personal mission to make sure you are all at your best when _that time_ comes."

Rukia nervously averted her gaze to the floor. "A-aa."

"Now, let's get on with it, shall we? There's thousands of you in the living world, after all." The blonde man said, reverting back to his cheerful demeanor.

Meanwhile, Ururu, as instructed, was taking everything off Rukia's gigai. She had finished taking off the uniform, the socks and the shoes when she noticed the metal band on its wrist. She looked at it curiously then shrugged as she took it off.

Rukia was lying on a bed much similar to a hospital's examination table, and many wires and tube-like things connected to different machines were on her body. Urahara was looking at the monitor, reading something only he could decipher, and all Rukia could do so as not to raise suspicions was to wait.

A beep was heard from the machine and she saw Urahara solemnly nod at the information he read. He then started taking everything off Rukia.

"How was it?"

"Oh, it's okay. You're healthy and ready to fight!" He chirped. "Your gigai is with Ururu. Please get it from her."

Rukia nodded and stepped out of the room to find Ururu wither gigai, looking exactly the same as she left it…

* * *

It was very early the next morning when Rukia woke up with horror. She immediately took out a pen and a paper and wrote a small note for her maroon-haired housemate still silently sleeping on the living room couch. _**Not coming to school. Out with Urahara. I'll be home right after. Don't come, I can take care of myself. **_

She jumped out of her bedroom window towards the direction of the terrifying reiatsu. She arrived at an abandoned building and entered through the creaking doors. She climbed a few flights of stairs until she reached the topmost floor, where she was sure someone was already waiting for her arrival. As soon as she stepped away from the stairway, a voice reached her ears.

"So you've come."

Rukia wanted to say_ 'As if I had a choice'_, and she would have, if only she wasn't so nervous and afraid at the moment. He was indeed true to his words. He came back three days after his first appearance, and Rukia had never been this afraid in her entire existence. Not even when Metastacia took over Kaien-dono's body and attacked her…not even when she was facing Ichimaru Gin—_that snake_…not even when Ichigo was lying on the pavement, his Chain Link and Soul Sleep having been destroyed by her brother…not even when she was on the brink of death in Hueco Mundo…not even— Her thoughts died down when she felt a cold hand hold tightly on to her neck, choking her…

* * *

Yay! Finally, Ulquiorra's back in the picture. Things will get clearer in the next few chapters. I'm not sure when the next update will be (I usually update depending on the reviews. :)), but since school is coming for me in a week, I'll probably settle for a weekly or perhaps even monthly update, depending on my free time. That doesn't mean I can't update if the reviews are really pushing me to. :) So review! XD Thanks for reading! Take care everyone!

PS I apologize yet again for the spelling and grammar errors. :)


	7. Chapter 6

An update! Yay!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed for the previous chappie: **LET's BLEACH IT, disinterested, sunlightangels, AnimeMaster24, Lynn, rukia death kuchiki, CrystalICE1, Cherryblossom snow, Piccus, anonymous, gangsterforever, mysterygal3189, Gouka-hime, Jay95, icia, Hachimitsu-sama, kaijin-taichou, rukiaichigo15chappy, CharmedNightSkye, Rhyjle, RaiChia, Lazy Mew, **and** da archer.**

Special thanks to:

**LunarEclipse** for reviewing the Prologue. My apologies for not updating ATRM. You see, the latest chap dropped in the reviews department, and I'm kinda sad because of that. I'll update within this week, so just be patient. :)

Thanks to the new alerts and faves. :)

Tons of thanks to those who added me in their Fave Authors and Author Alerts. :)

All of you guys rock! You have done wonders to my self-esteem, that's why I'm still here writing updates for this fic. Thanks you so much for everything! :)

Anyways, I didn't change the rating of this fic to M since I have young readers, so I just decided to lighten whatever dark theme this fic might suggest in the future.

WARNING: This chapter contains suggestions of sexual themes (really, really light though). Nothing smutty.

Oh, and I also apologize for the OOC-ness. :)

* * *

The hand on her neck tightened as she struggled to get free. Her breath was coming in gasps as it became harder and harder for her to breathe. Was this her end? Did this man finally decided to kill her? Her mind drifted back to their conversation three days ago. He needed her, and he needed her alive, so why did he seem to be so intent on ending her afterlife now?

"Wh-what…are…you—" Rukia gasped.

"You removed it." Ulquiorra deadpanned.

Rukia's eyes widened. Removed what? Was he talking about the band? But she didn't remove it! Not even once! "I…d-didn't…" She managed to choke out her words.

"You removed it." He insisted. "Have I not told you, shinigami, that I would certainly know if you removed it? Now…who did you tell?"

Rukia drew in as much air as her constricted lungs could. "But I didn't! I swear I didn't!" She suddenly felt the hand let go of her. She dropped to her knees, panting for breath.

Ulquiorra silently observed the woman's body language, searching for any hint that would tell she was lying to him. There was none. Could it be that his radar was wrong? Perhaps.

Rukia held her abused neck. She was certain there would be bruises lining her neck later, and she would have to endure wearing that stupid hot turtle-neck shirt again. She coughed as her lungs struggled to function properly again.

The Quatro Espada just stood there, waiting until the petite woman finally recovered.

Rukia, now angrier than she was afraid, glared at the stoic man. " Stupid presumptions. Before you do anything, make sure that your suspicions are correct first!"

She received no reply, as was expected.

Rukia coughed and looked away, suddenly embarrassed at her sudden outburst in front of the man who had her and her friends' lives in the palm of his hand. "Now, what do you really want from me?"

"Undress."

Rukia blinked and then looked at him. "I'm sorry?" She said, hoping she heard wrong.

"Undress." He repeated.

Rukia's amethyst orbs widened in alarm. "Wh-what?! Why would I do that?"

Ulquiorra took a step forward, and all the fear that has left the raven-haired a few moments prior came back with a vengeance.

"D-don't come any closer…" Rukia half-threatened, half-pleaded.

"I don't think you are in any position to tell me what to do, shinigami." Ulquiorra continued closing the gap between him and the petite woman. "You seem to be forgetting the seriousness of the matter at hand. Your…friends' lives are at stake."

Rukia shivered as she thought of what was about to transpire. Was she really going to let this man...abuse, possibly molest her, just to save the lives of her friends? Flashes of her nakama's faces came flooding her mind as she slowly strengthened her resolve. The girls, Mizuiro and Keigo, Chad, Ishida, Inoue…and Ichigo. However, she had no time to show Ulquiorra her refusal to break down no matter what he planned on doing to her as the said man held onto her neck once again, shoving her against the wall. Rukia's eyes twitched from the pain of the sudden contact with the hard concrete, and fear and uncertainty filled her heart again. But she had decided…she would do this…and she would not break down afterwards.

"Let's get this over and done with." The stoic man proclaimed. He lifted his hand off Rukia's neck and placed it in front of her face sideways.

Rukia stared at the hand in front of her face as it seemingly slice through thin air. A split-second later, she felt the cold breeze touch her skin as the front of her dress, from the collar all the way down to her navel, opened—a straight, clean rip across the fabric exposed her collarbone, bosom, and her flat stomach.

Rukia's breath got caught in her throat as she felt her mind shut down out of fear. No, it wasn't simply fear. It was more like unadulterated terror…Horror.

Her brain wasn't able to register the exact moment when she laid down on the cold, hard floor, or when her clothes had been discarded in a heap beside her, or when her assailant's own clothes have been taken off, or when he took her…

She was sweat-soaked and panting as she stared at the ceiling of the abandoned building. She felt sore, tired, and most of all, filthy. She was violated…degraded…_raped._ And what was worse was that it wasn't going to be the last time. She felt tears that she refused to cry throughout the whole ordeal sting her eyes as she recalled the only thing her clouded mind manage to process.

* * *

_Ulquiorra stood in front of her naked form, already dressed in his white coat and hakama, his hands in his pockets. "I see that the transfer is rather slow. Know then, shinigami, that this will not be the last. I will be back in three days." His soul started to dissipate as he reached his time limit in staying in the living world._

* * *

The raven-haired woman mulled over her now ruined life. She badly wanted to be saved yet again from her current predicament…she wanted Ichigo more than anyone else to save her…to protect her…but she couldn't depend on him anymore. If this was the only way to save him and everyone else, she was going to bear it even if it meant letting the devil use her. She curled up, still in her lying position, and cried. It was all she could do…

..

..

..

..

It was lunch time, and yet Ichigo still didn't know where that midget she-devil was. He had been itching all morning to ask her maroon-haired housemate where the heck the small woman was, but it felt degrading for him. He hated having other people know more about the petite woman than him, even if it was about something as little as her current location. Finally, he was fed up, so he marched towards the seemingly unaffected and uncaring Ashido.

"Oi, where's Rukia?" It came out more as a demand than a question.

Ashido gave the orange-haired kid a sideways glance, as if staring him down. This kid sure is confused about his feelings, he mused. "She's with Urahara-taichō, discussing important matters."

Ichigo blinked. Was something happening that he didn't know of? Was there a new threat or something? He frowned. He was never one to be left out of the loop. He hated being the last to know. "What about?"

Ashido shrugged nonchalantly.

Ichigo scowled at the reply he received. "Then why are you here?"

Ashido sighed inwardly. How could Rukia like this kid? He turned around to face the orange-head fully. "Someone's got to take her post while she's not around. That's my job."

Ichigo gritted his teeth. "No! That's MY job. I am _her official substitute._"

Ashido stared at him from head to foot, his face carrying the same almost-bored and cold expression. He shook his head and walked past Ichigo, only to stop a feet behind the carrot-top. "Know your priorities first…" He glanced at the substitute shinigami over his shoulder. "…kid." And then he walked away.

Ichigo was left there, too stunned to speak…

* * *

The twelfth division was in utter chaos. Their current vice-captain, former captain Kurotsuchi Mayuri, had gone berserk. He was mad at his failure on such a simple task as opening the Senkaimon and establishing connection with the world of the living. He had been called for by Yamamoto-soutaichō an awful lot of times to inquire about the current status of the Senkaimon. He felt really besmirched—he had been demoted, placed under Urahara freaking Kisuke, and now he couldn't prove himself capable of such a stupid thing as opening the Senkaimon. He screamed at his subordinates to continue working their asses off and never stop until they found out what the cause was of this current obstruction in their communication with the living world.

So far, nothing tragic had happened in Soul Society ever since they lost contact with the living world. Actually, nothing had happened at all, and Yamamoto-soutaichō had been extremely bothered about the current state of the living world—or if there was still even a living world existing at the moment. In the current-state of Soul Society, no soul could travel to the living world. Likewise, the souls who underwent konsō and the hollows that were slain by shinigami in the living world couldn't cross to Soul Society as well. If this continues, the souls would get lost and just disintegrate—in the long run, it would cause an imbalance between the living world and Soul Society.

The news had spread through out Soul Society as fast as one could travel using shunpo. Every single soul from Seiretei all the way to the last district in Rukongai had learned of their current impasse and were anxiously waiting for any progress.

Shihōin Yoruichi, the reinstated taichō of the Secret Mobile Corps, together with her trusted lieutenant, Soi Fon, who voluntarily stepped down from her captaincy to be under her idol once again, instantly went to the location of the Senkaimon upon hearing the news. Yoruichi had never left the gate since she arrived, knowing full well that her good friend was waiting on the other side. She, too, saw the momentary flickering to life of the Senkaimon. One more…all she needed was one more of that…just a split-second…and she would be able to cross the gate. She was, after all, the Goddess of Flash…

* * *

Rukia slowly walked towards the place she was currently staying at. She needed to get there before Ashido does so he wouldn't have to go and search for her, and maybe blow up her _'I'm-with-Urahara'_ cover. Holding her torn dress to hide her now bruised flesh, she desperately trudged through the path that led to their house until she caught sight of it. She broke into a run, desperately trying to find a shelter that would hide her from the scrutiny of the people…from the pains of the world. As soon as she entered the house, she fell to her knees and let herself cry the last remaining tears she would ever allow herself to shed. She was stronger than this…she told herself she wouldn't break down…she was doing all of this for a great cause…she wouldn't depend on anyone again. As she wiped her tears, she felt so dirty, and marched towards the bathroom. If only she could drown herself…

..

..

..

..

_Know your priorities, kid…_

Those words played in his mind over and over again. What the hell did that bastard mean by that?

_Know your priorities, kid…_

What does he know about him? They weren't even friends!

_Know your priorities, kid…_

How dare he replace him in his job of being Rukia's substitute without so much as a notice.

_Know your priorities, kid…_

What the fuck did that mean?!

Ichigo growled in frustration and buried his head under his pillow. He muttered a series of profanities, all directed towards the maroon-haired son-of-a-bitch.

Unknown to him, a certain buxom girl was leaning outside his bedroom door, listening to him as he screamed and growled and cursed just to let his anger and frustration out. Her gray orbs softened as she quietly pondered if she was still doing the right thing by staying with him and trying to make him fall in love with her—or if she really did the right thing from the very start…

..

..

..

..

Rukia soaped her body, soaked herself in warm water, scrubbed…then soaped her body again. No matter how many times she washed herself, she still felt filthy. She was so disgusted with herself that she was scrubbing her skin too hard, not realizing it was already red and raw until she accidentally scrubbed a bruise and flinched in pain and surprise. When she let her arms fall back on the warm water of the bath tub after she scrubbed them rather harshly, she felt stinging pain upon contact and finally decided to finish her bath. She had been in there for over two hours, never satisfied at her attempts to cleanse herself. She emerged from the bathroom just in time to see Ashido enter her room.

Rukia blinked at him, the cogs of her mind working in overdrive. She wasn't prepared to speak with anyone yet, so she needed to find an excuse to push him out of the room…and she was only wearing a thin yukata…and she had just been, well, raped. And there were evidences all over her body in the form of bruises and scrapes. In an instant, she turned her back on him, masking her fear of getting caught with embarrassment. "Wh-what are you doing in my room?"

Ashido coolly leaned his back against the wall next to her door. "I was just checking if you're home already. Apparently, you are."

"Uh, yeah. So…could you get out so I could get dressed?"

Ashido just smiled and left the room.

Rukia heaved a sigh of relief. She hoped she didn't get caught. She took a step towards her dresser when she suddenly felt her knees go weak. She dropped to the floor feeling dizzy. She felt her reiatsu drop tremendously, and she vaguely wondered if it was the effect of transferring a few remnants of the Hōgyoku to the bastard Espada.

She heard a knock on the door. "Rukia?" It was Ashido, and he sounded worried. He must have felt the sudden drop of her reiatsu.

"I-I'm okay, don't worry." Rukia struggled to her feet and got dressed once again in her turtle-neck, long-sleeved shirt and a skirt. She made her way to her bed and plopped her tired body down on it, feeling her forehead. She was completely exhausted that she didn't seem to realize her reiatsu dipped low again, and the last thing she saw was the worried face of her maroon-haired housemate before she completely passed out.

* * *

Finally, we knew what Ulquiorra wanted with Rukia…and what that "physical union" meant. And Rukia wasn't abducted, so I apologize to everyone who thought so. :)

Furthermore, I apologize for the lack of IchiRuki fluff in the story as of now. Rukia is my favorite character, and I want to focus on her for now. But don't worry, this IS and IchiRuki fic. :)

My apologies for the spelling and grammar errors. I don't do spell check, or any kind of checking at all. I post my stories right after typing them, so I hope the errors don't give you a headache or something. :)

Hope you liked this chapter. Please review!

Take good care everyone! :)


	8. Chapter 7

Err…yeah…it's been a while. It took me this long to recover from my sulking… I had a couple of criticisms (which were actually good-natured ones) for the previous chap. And, I don't know, I just kind of took them to heart…maybe because they were the first ones I actually received. But it's no big now. I'll take all the criticisms thrown at me since I think they'll make be a better writer eventually. :) No more sulking for me…Promise. :)

Thanks to everyone who reviewed for the previous chap. **CrystalICE1, Krymsom **(that I want to apologize to again for getting…disturbed, I think. Though I doubt she'll be able to read this…), **kaijin-taichou, gangsterforever, rukiaichigo15chappy, rukia death kuchiki, mad maddie, Lynn, RaiChia, somebody, Jay95, Cherryblossom snow, Mikiya70, Hachimitsu-sama, Gouka-hime, AnimeMaster24, findingjenny, Rhyjle, LunarEclipse, None **( I call her the anonymous reviewer in ATRM), **scarlet white cross **and **Lazy Mew.**

Specail thanks to:

**mad maddie **for reviewing chapter 3.

**Draven NightHawk **for reviewing the prologue (though the content was actually about the previous chap. :))

**scarlet white cross **for reviewing chapter 2. Yes, I'm still planning on putting Toushirou here, though I doubt there would be HitsuRuki hints. :(

**Rhyjle **and** RaiChia **for the encouragement (the e-mail and the PM, respectively). :)

**Jay95, LunarEclipse, scarlet white cross and None (the anonymous reviewer), **it's so nice to hear from you guys outside a…err, HitsuRuki setting. And oh, I've update ATRM! :)

Thanks to the new faves and alerts. And thanks to everyone who took the time to read and review my first fic, **Following**.

Enough said.

* * *

Ashido felt the passed out woman's forehead and wondered why she fainted all of a sudden. What were she and Urahara-taichou doing earlier? Where were they? He would have long since left and asked the blonde captain himself had he not been so worried about the raven-haired woman lying in front of him. He let his eyes rest on the figure's slightly frowning face before letting them roam around her body.

Kuchiki Rukia for him was a, for the lack of a better and more apt term, _divine being_—not that he was going to ever tell her that. Their first meeting hadn't been the best, but it was certainly an event he will never regret happening. It was her stunning amethyst orbs that gave him his resolve—a desire to go back. It was her who gave him light in the cold, desolate lands of Hueco Mundo. Simply put, he was here because of her.

He looked at her lidded eyes…her small nose…her pink lips…down to her covered neck…and his eyes reached her stomach, a bit exposed because her shirt rode up from her slight tossing—and there he saw it. Bruises. He frowned lightly and got up from the chair he had been sitting on the whole time and walked over to the bed. He noiselessly sat beside the petite woman and eyed the bruises curiously. He lifted his hand to probe it, and perhaps lift the shirt higher to see if there were more, but his hand was stopped a few inches from her stomach. He slightly turned his head to find amethyst orbs staring at him…and they were unreadable.

Rukia didn't know what happened. She remembered the last thing she saw—Ashido rushing over to her. She must have passed out. When she came to, she felt so weak and tired that she couldn't even open her eyes. She felt the bed shift slightly and knew that someone—most probably her maroon-haired housemate—sat beside her. Now what could Ashido be doing, sitting beside her? She continued contemplating on this when she felt his breath somewhere below…near her stomach…that was when she realized that her stomach was bare, and that Ashido might be seeing something he shouldn't. With all the strength she could muster, she opened her heavy lids and grabbed the hand she saw slowly making its way to her stomach—dangerously close to one of her many bruises.

"How are you feeling?" Ashido's tone suggested that he wanted to know about other things besides her current state.

"Fine. Just…just tired." Rukia sighed and closed her eyes—but not before straightening her shirt over her stomach.

"Rukia…" He trailed off.

"Yeah?" She tried to play dumb…begging that he wouldn't ask—

"Where did you get that?"

Not a chance, she mused. "The what? Oh, the bruise? Training." She originally planned on using healing kidō on herself before anyone could have the chance to see her injuries, but she felt too strained and exhausted to even stay up long.

"You trained with Urahara-taichō?" He remained skeptical.

"Yeah. I…need to be prepared, you know…for anything that might happen. And Urahara is the best trainer around."

It took a lot of years for Rukia to perfect that emotionless voice—and she guessed it somehow paid off.

Ashido shrugged lightly at her. "I guess I'll go ask him to train me, too, then."

Rukia's eyes instantly snapped open at that. "What?"

Ashido took Rukia's response as an affirmation to his suspicion—she was hiding something from him. There was a moment of silence between them as Ashido continued to scrutinize the raven-haired shinigami. Then, he sighed. "I won't go asking whatever it is that you're keeping from me. I'm sure you have a reason for it. Just…if you can, just don't get yourself hurt." He stood up from the bed and left the room.

Rukia remained stunned long after the maroon-haired man was gone. She needed to be more careful…especially around him. He was really a perceptive guy…she couldn't keep the act up in front of him, she sure as hell would be caught easily.

She could only hope Ashido wouldn't go around asking Urahara…

* * *

It was showing those signs again…signs of life…The Senkaimon was reacting to his reiatsu…and he was certain that in a matter of moments, it would open for at least a millisecond…

And there it was. The lighted poured in the underground training area from the Senkaimon. Urahara just stared at it, knowing full well that someone would emerge from it really soon.

And he was right. Not a few milliseconds after the gate opened, a dark-skinned woman with violet hair and piercing cat eyes emerged from the gate just before it closed again.

"Ah…Welcome back, Yoruichi…"

The said woman had a grim look on her face. "What's happening here, Kisuke?"

..

..

..

..

Isshin looked out the window of his clinic. He was thinking about the most recent conversation he had with Urahara.

* * *

"_Looks like your schemes are failing, Isshin." Urahara said, adjusting the hat on his head._

"_Ah, perhaps. But I still trust my son, Kisuke. I know he would realize it soon."_

"_I hope that would be sooner, Isshin. We don't have that much time, do we?"_

"_What is really happening, Kisuke?"_

_Urahara leaned his head down a bit, his hat casting a shadow on his eyes. "Why don't you go and invite Rukia-chan to live in your house again? I'm sure she'll refuse at first…but she'll eventually give in…"_

_Urahara apparently wasn't one to tell people, not even to his good friend Isshin, about his speculations unless he has confirmed them. He was known, though, to do safety precautions to hinder, delay or lessen the effect of the enemy attacks. But he had failed a lot of times._

_One was keeping the Hōgyoku in the depths of Rukia's soul, hoping to get it absorbed before anyone found out, which was not what happened. Another was his sending Orihime to Soul Society so she wouldn't get captured and brought to the enemy territory. Both were utter failures, the former being the biggest mistake he has ever committed in his afterlife. And he couldn't bring __**her **__down now, not after causing everything she had to go through._

"_Ah, talking in riddles again, are we, Kisuke? But sure, I'll try to convince Rukia-chan to stay with us again. I sure hope you know what you're doing." He grinned at his blonde friend._

"_I finally think I do, Isshin. I finally think I do…"_

* * *

Isshin sighed. Something was definitely up. And it had something to do with Rukia…again. As much as he wanted to save her from whatever trouble she was in, he knew he couldn't, especially since Urahara had his own presumptions and did some precautions already. He trusted that former comrade of his with his afterlife, and if he said he knew what he was doing, finally after years—decades, millennia—of acting on impulse, Isshin knew he could hold him to his word.

Now only if he could stop worrying…

..

..

..

..

"Oi, Rukia." Ichigo casually strode to her desk during lunch time. He had been waiting all morning to talk to her about her absence the day before. However, she and her maroon-haired housemate went to school late—together—and he went almost to the brink of insanity just thinking of what held them up.

Rukia looked up at the orange head at the sound of his voice. "Yeah?"

He scowled at her. He was trying so hard to control his temper and not yell at her for not coming to school yesterday and coming late today. And her nonchalant "yeah" wasn't making anything better. "Where were you yesterday?"

Rukia blinked at him, feigning innocence, hoping against hope that Ichigo wouldn't be able to read through her. "I was out…with Urahara."

"What were you doing with Urahara? Is something going on that I don't know of?"

Oh yeah. Ichigo still didn't know…that the ties between Soul Society and the living world had been cut. "Well…he was…training me." She opted to use a "consistent lie" by saying what she told Ashido earlier that day.

"Training? What for?"

"I want to get stronger, Ichigo. Why do you care?" Rukia knew that irritating him this way would stop him from asking her.

Effective, she mused, as Ichigo scowled harder at her. "I don't. I was merely asking, midget. Why were you late today?"

"I thought you didn't care, then how come you keep on asking questions?"

"How come you're always trying to divert the conversation?" Ichigo retorted.

Rukia's mouth snapped shut. Not a good sign. He was slowly figuring it out. 'Need a way to get out of this…'

"Because I don't like you meddling with my business, Ichigo." She said in the coldest voice she could.

There was a brief flash of pain in his amber eyes that was gone before she could blink. "Sorry for _meddling_, Rukia. It just so happened that I thought we were friends. And I worry for my friends. Apparently, we weren't thinking the same way."

"Ichigo, I—" Rukia's supposed apology was cut short by a bouncy buxom girl who walked towards them.

"Kurosaki-kun, Kuchiki-san, let's go to the rooftop. The others are already waiting for us."

Rukia looked at Orihime and then back at Ichigo who had his hands in his pockets and was staring off into the distance. "Uh…I'll be there shortly. I'll just go find Ashido first."

"Okay, see you, Kuchiki-san!" Orihime, who had been observing the earlier exchange yet again from her place by the doorway, chose the right moment to interfere. She knew, perhaps more than those two themselves, that Ichigo and Rukia loved each other. She personally had nothing against it, and she was willing to let Ichigo go instantly the moment both of them made a move towards each other. She couldn't however just let it pass when she saw the hurt in Ichigo's eyes. They loved each other, no doubt. But she couldn't let Rukia hurt Ichigo just to deny that fact. And if staying with him could prevent more incidents like that, she was more than willing to oblige.

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"Aa, I understand, Kisuke. I trust your judgements, and if you say you know what you are doing, then I believe you." Yoruichi replied to Urahara who just finished explaining the current predicament of the living world.

Urahara simply nodded back. "Now, regarding the Senkaimon, I have found out that a massive amount of negative reiatsu was the cause of the current obstruction. What you have to do is counter it with negative reiatsu as well, instead of the usual neutral reiatsu we shinigami use in opening the Senkaimon. That way, the reiatsu would repel, and it would somehow weaken the spell. I've tried to do it, which was why the gates opened a few moments prior, but with the shinigami on the other side throwing neutral reiatsu into it, the effect of my negative reiatsu weakened, thus I couldn't open the gate longer than a second. Plus, it requires quite a large amount of reiatsu, and with them getting in my way, I say I'm rather strained. I was just waiting for you to cross, so you could deliver my message. I will try to open the gate one more time so you could pass through. After you tell them this, let them to send reinforcements."

Yoruichi nodded and stood by the Senkaimon, waiting for the blonde captain to open it. The blonde captain let his remaining reiatsu rise and concentrated it on the gate. It flickered to life and in an instant, Yoruichi was gone.

Now all he could do was wait…

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That's all…The first week of school has been tough for me…but I'll still try to find time to update. Pardon the errors, please. :)

Please review! :)

Take care everyone! :)


	9. Chapter 8

Yay! My school is actually celebrating its centennial anniversary today (June 18), so I don't have classes to attend. So instead of idling around all day, here I am, giving you a fast update! I had so many wonderful reviews for the previous chapter that I couldn't refuse those who asked for a fast update. :)

Sigh. I just had a marathon of the latest Bleach episodes. I feel so bad after watching ep 166. It was just too…IchiHime-centric for my liking. I mean, Ichigo smiled at her, and then offered his hand…and the way his eyes softened when he spoke to her was just so…depressing. Also, he had this new passion to win against his fight with Grimmjow after Inoue cheered for him (she was crying, telling him not to get hurt and all that crap). It reminded me of Rukia's chastisement (the "that's the kind of man you are in my heart, Ichigo" episode). Only, he was smirking after Rukia's, while he was…a little too soft after Inoue's. Oh, have you seen the latest ending theme yet? The one where Ichigo smiled at Inoue at the end? That made me sooo sad.

Anyways, enough with the ranting. Thanks to everyone who reviewed for the previous chapter: **Cutegoth, narquotic, CrystalICE1, Believing Is Seeing, rukiaichigo15chappy, Himiko Areess, gangsterforever, CO Raven, AnimeMaster24, Crimson Quincy, Rhyjle, kaijin-taichou, None (the anonymous reviewer), hachimitsu-sama, rukia death kuchiki, LazyMew, hana-Tenshi, KiANA, Cherryblossom snow, LKira, Kimihaine, Draven NightHawk, and RaiChia.**

Special thanks to:

**Cutegoth, gangsterforever, KiANA, **and** Kimihaine **for reviewing ATRM as well. :)

KiANA, I don't mind the long reviews. If anything, I even love them! :)

Again, sorry for the OOC-ness.

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Urahara stared at the now inactive Senkaimon long after his former captain passed through it. It wouldn't be long before the gate would finally open; with all the negative reiatsu the shinigami in Soul Society could put into it, it was a wonder why he even had to wait this long.

"Manager…" A gruff voice called from behind.

Urahara looked at Tessai from the corner of his eye.

Tessai gave a slight bow before looking up at his captain. "You have a visitor."

Urahara fully turned around to face his assistant swinging his shikomizue(1) in the process. "Who is it?"

"Yo, Geta-bōshi…"

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Rukia looked at the clock. 8:03. Where was Ashido? He hadn't returned since a damn hollow decided to show up to them on their way home. She would have gone after it herself if only she was stable enough. However, that was not the case. Her reiatsu was still low, though it was better than its level the night before. But she was perfectly sure she could defeat an ordinary hollow at her current state. Ashido wouldn't have any of it though. He adamantly refused her when she insisted on coming with him.

She paced the living room for about the 96th time that night, but still, the door remained closed. It wasn't that she was worried the maroon-haired man would get defeated by a weak hollow. Heh, that guy had fought Menos Grande class hollows for about a hundred years, so he couldn't be defeated that easily. No, what was bothering her were the possible stops the guy could take before going back to their house. He wouldn't go ask Urahara, right? No, Ashido said he wouldn't ask whatever it was she was hiding from him…so he wouldn't go to Urahara. He couldn't, or he would blow her stupid cover up. She sighed in frustration and sat down on the couch.

Rukia stared at the door when she heard a beeping sound—one that she hadn't heard for weeks—and perked up. Her Soul Pager…it was beeping…does that mean Urahara was successful in establishing communication with Soul Society? She immediately stood up to get her neglected gadget from the table and looked at the order sent to it. A hollow…and she had no choice but to get it herself, since Ashido had not returned yet. She bolted out of the door towards the direction of the hollow…

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"Ah, Kurosaki-san…What brings you to my humble shop?"

Ichigo scowled at the older man's greeting. He was there to inquire about Rukia's training…and to know if there was anything wrong going on, but before he could open his mouth to speak, a blinding light poured out from the gate behind Urahara.

Urahara's face visibly lit up. "Ah, finally…"

"Wh-what was that?!" Ichigo, who now had his arms in front of his eyes, shielding them from the sudden illumination, fervently asked.

The blonde captain casually turned around to welcome his new guests.

He eyed the newcomers one by one. Two captains, two lieutenants, a third seat and a fifth seat.

Ichigo blinked rapidly to adjust his eyes to his surroundings. After making sure that the light stopped pouring out of the Senkaimon, he let his arms drop to his sides…and gaped at the people standing in front of Urahara. "Renji! Ikakku…Yumichika…Rangiku-san… Toushirou!" Ichigo's eyes widened at the last person. "B-Byakuya!"

"It's Hitsugaya-taichō to you." A vein popped in the small captain's head.

"Wh-what are you guys doing here?" Ichigo asked, as if not hearing Toushirou's scolding.

"Oh, what a warm welcome, Ichigo." Ikkaku sarcastically said, rolling his eyes in the process.

Rangiku slapped the bald man's shining head and smiled at the substitute shinigami. "Oh, as you know, we are the Advanced Shinigami Troop and we're the ones sent here because we have the most knowledge and experience in the living world."

Ichigo scowled, then let his eyes drift to Byakuya.

Renji, sensing Ichigo's curiosity as to why his taichō was with them (since Byakuya wasn't a part of the Advanced Shinigami Troop), answered Ichigo's unasked question. "Taichō insisted on coming with us. You know…" He glanced at his captain to make sure he wasn't looking and mouthed, "To make sure Rukia's safe."

Ichigo's brows furrowed further. "Rukia? What's wrong with Rukia?"

Renji scowled at him. "You loud-mouth. Nothing's wrong with her, as far as I know. But there is in your world."

"In my—" Ichigo was cut short as several Soul Pagers went off.

"A hollow. Nearby. How ugly." Yumichika chided.

"I'll get it." The white-haired prodigy volunteered. "Urahara-san, please fill them in."

Urahara bowed slightly at the small captain who disappeared via shunpo shortly after, then led his guest up the stairs.

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Rukia stopped at a dark alley a few blocks away from the Urahara shōten. She heard the shrill shriek of the hollow indicating its proximity. She pulled out the Soul Candy dispenser from her pocket and swallowed a gikongan…but instead of the usual separation of her soul from her gigai, nothing happened. A few seconds later, she started to choke…and then she coughed the green pill out. Was she that weak that her soul couldn't even materialize outside her gigai? She felt okay, so how come she couldn't separate her soul from this faux body? She found out however that she had no time to ponder about this as the hollow chose that exact moment as the right time to make its appearance.

Rukia cursed under her breath as she stared at the ugly being. It looked awfully like a praying mantis with a hollow mask on its face. If she was too weak, how could she defeat this? The hollow landed in front of Rukia, its bright yellow eyes staring straight with mirth at what it thought was its next meal.

"Ah, so it was you I'm smelling. Delicious." The hollow let its long tongue hang from the corner of its mouth. "Shall I begin my dinner?" It raised one of its scythe-like arms, the bladed edge gleaming in the moonlight.

Rukia jumped away as soon as the hollow attacked, its scythe-like arm leaving a large hole on the ground. The petite woman cursed again, as the dust impeded her vision. She landed on the ground a few feet away from the monstrous hole the hollow made and looked around—to find the hollow gone. She tried to sense where it was, but was beaten to it by the hollow itself as it leaped up in the air right above her, its scythe-like arm ready to stab her.

"Hadou no sanjuusan, Soukatsui!" The raven-haired shinigami shot a kidō blast at the hollow, giving her enough time to dodge its attack during its momentary distraction. The hollow recovered soon enough, and went after the running shinigami.

Rukia ran as soon as she fired her kidō spell. There was no way she could defeat the hollow without her zanpakutō with her. At this rate, she had to get a shinigami—any shinigami—to slay the hollow. She ran away from the dark alley to prevent its neighboring establishments from getting disturbed and causing a ruckus since she was still in her gigai and normal people were perfectly capable of seeing her. She turned on a corner only to find herself staring at the hollow which was fast enough to arrive there before her, effectively blocking her path.

"We've wasted too much time, little girl. I think it's time I eat my dinner."

The distance between them was so small that Rukia was sure she wouldn't have enough time to dodge the hollow's nest attack. Everything went in slow motion to her as the hollow lifted both of its arms, intending to stab her small body with it, while she tried in futility to jump away…only to hear a distinctive voice from behind.

"Sōten ni zase, Hyōrinmaru!"

The dragon-shaped flow of ice from the sword's blade sped towards the hollow, freezing it in place. Hitsugaya Tōshirō landed right beside the raven-haired woman as the ice broke and the hollow dissipated.

"What are you doing, Kuchiki?" The white-haired man turned towards the petite woman, surprised to see her still in her gigai.

"Uhm…well…I was…fighting the hollow…" Rukia trailed off, averting her eyes to the ground.

"You call _that _fighting? You aren't even in your shinigami form! That's dangerous, Kuchiki!" The Juu Bantai taichō reprimanded.

"I…I forgot to bring my gikongan…" she said, trying to ignore the weight of the Soul Candy dispenser on her pocket.

"Hn," Tōshirō grunted. "Since you're here, might as well come with me to the Urahara shōten. Everyone's there."

"Everyone?" Rukia's brows furrowed in confusion.

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"WHAT?!" Ichigo slammed his fist on the table, effectively shaking the teacups resting on it. "How come no one told me about this?!"

"Ah, it's okay now, Kurosaki-san. I have successfully made connection with Soul Society. And I believe you were too busy about…something else that's why Kuchiki-san didn't tell you. Perhaps she didn't want to bother you," Urahara replied.

"Busy? With something else? That's not an excuse. Besides, I wasn't busy with something else," the carrot-top crossed his arms over his chest.

"Perhaps Rukia-san had her own reasons, Ichigo-kun," Matsumoto chimed in. "I heard you and Orihime—"

"Whatever it is you heard about him and Inoue doesn't have anything to do with this, Matsumoto."

"Ah, taichō! You're back! That was pretty fast, ne? Oh, Rukia-chan!"

Rukia looked up at the mention of her name and saw the whole group. Her eyes widened when they rested on an elegant figure. "N-nii-sama!"

Byakuya opened his eyes and placed his teacup down on the table. He nodded in acknowledgement at his sister.

"Oi, Rukia!" the red-head said, trying to gain her attention.

"Renji! What are you all doing here?"

"No, what are _you _doing here? How come you're with Hitsugaya-taichō?"

"I…well…" Rukia once again dropped her gaze to the floor.

"I found her fighting the hollow," the young prodigy said.

Everyone looked at him expectantly, waiting for the next part of his story.

"She was about to be attacked when I arrived." The white-haired man ignored the pleading look she gave him. As much as he wanted not to tell anyone about what happened, he knew he had to. It was for her own good, anyway.

"What?!" Renji and Ichigo shouted at the same time.

"Why aren't you fighting it?" They both asked in unison.

"I…I forgot my gikongan…and it was strong enough to stand against my kidō…"

"That's stupid! Where's Ashido?" Ichigo's blood was boiling at the thought of Rukia almost getting hurt by a mere hollow simply because no one was there to protect her—simply because_ he _wasn't there to protect her.

"He…Wait a minute. What are you trying to say? And why are you so mad anyway? What has Ashido got to with this? I am capable of taking care of myself!"

"Hah, so that's why you almost got killed by a hollow had Tōshirō not arrived!"

"I was almost _attacked_, Ichigo…Not _killed. _But you seem to be entertaining the idea so much." She spat venomously.

"What the hell? You know for a fact that I don't!"

The two continued on their bickering, straying far away from their original topic. Everyone else in the room were watching with varying emotions. Some were amused; some were annoyed. One was commenting on how ugly their quarrel was; one was scratching his head in confusion; and one was…well, just sitting there, not even minding to berate her little sister for her behavior.

Not she would've listened at the moment. She was too engrossed in her little squabble with the orange-head that she forgot there were other people in the room.

"Oh yeah? Your actions say otherwise."

"Dammit, Rukia! Why do you have to be so annoying?!"

"Why do you have to be an idiot?"

"You're the idiot, midget! Why don't you just accept the fact that I care about you?!"

Everyone's jaw dropped, well except Byakuya's, at Ichigo's statement. The speaker himself let his amber eyes widen at the sudden realization of what just flew out of his mouth…

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(1) I think it's what you call his sword in his cane.

That's it. I hope it wasn't boring or anything. Please review! :)

_Maligayang Sentenaryo, mga Iskolar Ng Bayan! :)_


	10. Chapter 9

I would like to thank everyone who reviewed for the previous chap! I had the most number of reviews for that chapter! You all made me so happy!

**narquotic, Crimson Quincy, kaijin-taichou, Rhyjle, rukiaichigo15chappy, disinterested, liltifanny, None (the anonymous reviewer), RaiChia, rukia death kuchiki, Cherryblossom snow, Lynn, Draven NightHawk, Believing Is Seeing, Hachimitsu-sama, Himiko Areess, CrystalICE1, Apathetically Concerned, gangsterforever, Jay95, Kano Yamakai, AnimeMaster24, 0: , findingjenny, CO Raven, kaiserkawaii,** and **scarlet white cross.**

Special thanks to:

**Crimson Quincy **for reviewing Chap 6.

**None (the anonymous reviewer) **for sending a double review.

**0:** for the wonderful compliments.

**Everyone who commented **about the IchiHime things I was ranting about in the previous chap.

And I'm glad the HitsuRuki scene had positive feedbacks. :)

As I've said, the update would be up this weekend. And I'm true to my word, ne? :)

Sorry for the OOC-ness.

Disclaimer: What's the use of this? I wouldn't have ranted about Orihime if Bleach was mine. XD

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Amber eyes roamed around the room looking for an escape—any kind of escape—from the scrutinizing gazes he received. Finding none, he sighed and did the most logical thing he could think of at the moment—he frowned.

"What? Of course I care. She's my friend."

Several groans of disappointment and annoyance were heard all around the room. Rukia averted her gaze for the umpteenth time to the floor, telling her mind that it was the answer she expected, yet her heart believed otherwise.

That was when the regal and elegant being called Byakuya chose to interfere. With his eyes still closed, he said, "Kurosaki Ichigo. I believe it doesn't concern you anymore. Rukia is capable of taking care of herself perfectly well, and if not, that is when _we_ come in."

It was the closest thing they could get to Byakuya confessing his outright concern for his sister, and everyone knew it. They all resumed their previous conversations, immediately dismissing what had just happened.

"As I was saying earlier, we have just managed to open the portal between Soul Society and the living world, but we still haven't found what or who was the actual cause of the sudden disturbance. Did anyone in Soul Society find out anything?" The blonde captain of the twelfth asked.

The Advanced Shinigami Troop looked at each other, then shook their heads in unison.

"No. Not even your vice-captain learned of anything regarding this matter." The small white-haired captain spoke for all.

"Ah, I see." Urahara turned to the human world dwellers. "Has any of you noticed any…weird occurrences lately? Or any clue as to what…or who is responsible for this?"

It took all of Rukia's willpower not to wince. The topic reminded her of that horrible event, and she couldn't help but feel filthy and violated over and over again. Her face showed no emotion, but the hands on her lap, hidden under the small coffee table, were fervently shaking. "No…" It was all she could blurt out. She feared that attempting to say anything else would cause her to resort to lying once again. And she didn't want to lie anymore.

Suddenly, the shoji door opened, and in came Tessai. "Manager, you have another visitor."

Urahara nodded without looking at his assistant. "Let him in."

Rukia took this momentary distraction to excuse herself. "I will just go to the rest room." She exited through the other shoji door leading to the inner part of the shōten.

As soon as she left, her maroon-haired housemate came to the room, bowing in reverence to everyone as soon as he laid his eyes on them.

"Ah, Ashido-san, what brings you here?" Urahara inquired.

"I want to ask you something…important. If you don't mind, I would like to talk to you in private, Urahara-taichō." Ashido politely responded.

Ichigo glanced their way, but because he didn't know anything about what they were going to talk about—and dismissing it as something unimportant and irrelevant—he just let them go without questions…

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Ashido was way past curious.

He was concerned—worried—about that training thing Rukia told him about. He knew he told her that he wouldn't ask her anything, and that he wouldn't meddle with whatever she was hiding. But after seeing her quiet the whole day—something so unlike her—worry got the best of him, and so he decided to go ask Urahara-taichō himself what kind of rigorous training Rukia underwent to make her that way. The damned hollow that showed up when they were on their way home was the perfect excuse for him to go visit the Urahara shōten without being suspected of anything—without Rukia's knowledge of it at all.

Unluckily though, the hollow wasn't the usual ones that appear randomly in the living world. It wasn't that he had a hard time defeating it; it was rather weak. The problem was it had the ability to hide itself and its reiatsu, and he had a hard time playing hide-and-seek with it, and that wasted too much of his precious time. And since he was running really late anyway—he told Rukia he'd be home straight after finishing the hollow—he decided that he might as well fulfill this _mission_ that he had been planning on since lunch time that day. So he ran towards the Urahara shōten and arrived in record time. He was surprised to see several higher-ups in what he could only deduce was a meeting, after his mind realized that them coming to the living world meant the portals were up and running again.

Before he could find out from them what the latest occurrences were, he decided to finish what he came there for first. So he immediately asked for a private conversation with the blonde captain and followed him when the man exited through the other shoji door in the room and led him to the dark hallways of the shōten…

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Rukia breathed a sigh of relief as she exited the room. The tension in the room was unbearable, and she couldn't stand seeing everyone get so worked up over the matter while she sat there, pretending to not know a single thing. That was why she left the room when the chance presented itself. She was so tempted to say something—anything—to reassure them…to tell them nothing was wrong…that she had everything under control. But the coldness of the metal band that was still on her wrist reminded her that she was in no position to give details. She sighed as she continued strolling through the dark hallways of the shōten, not really knowing where to go. From a corner, she heard hushed male voices in a conversation.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?" That was Urahara, she was sure.

"Urahara-taichou, I need to know what's going on." That one was unmistakably Ashido's. _When did he arrive?_

"What exactly do you mean?"

"Well, Rukia…She was so weak when she came back last night after—"

"ASHIDO!!"

The maroon-haired man turned around quickly at the sound of the panicked voice. There stood, in all her wrathful glory, the subject of their conversation.

Rukia glared at the maroon-head, a sense of betrayal and rage gnawing within her.

"R-Rukia…"

Urahara silently observed the two. Rukia's odd behavior attracted his attention, and the cogs of his mind were working to create more hypotheses regarding the current situation.

Rukia found herself mad; but why, she didn't know. Maybe it was because she trusted Ashido's words too much. Or because her lies were almost exposed. Or because Ichigo, Renji, her nii-sama and her friends were there and would surely find out about her lies. And she was sure they would force her to confess.

Seeing that he wasn't needed there anymore, Urahara bowed slightly at the two and left them alone.

Ashido, just by looking at Rukia's furious face, knew in an instant why the petite woman was so enraged. But her wrath only strengthened his resolve—he would find out no matter what. What was it that she was so mad at the thought of him knowing? It wasn't as if she couldn't trust him with her life, right?

"Rukia, I was just…worried." It was hard for him to confess this kind of thing, but if it was what it would take for her to loosen up, then so be it.

"Then don't. I can take care of myself." She turned on her heels and re-entered the meeting room.

"I think now that there is communication between the living world and Soul Society, we don't have to fear anything that's coming. Seeing as all the important matters have been discussed, Ashido and I would be taking our leave. Goodnight." She bowed to everyone before expectantly looking at Ashido who did the same and followed suit.

Ichigo was musing about what Ashido did to her to make her act so…cold and closed off. He heard her yell his name earlier, and after a few moments, Urahara re-entered the room. When he inquired what Ashido asked him about, the blonde captain just shrugged and told him that the two's _lover's spat _interrupted their talk, at which Ichigo's eye twitched. He immediately stood up and, not even bowing to the people in the room, gave a quick "ja ne" and ran out.

Rukia was walking two steps ahead of her maroon-haired companion. She knew she was acting suspiciously, so out-of-character that she feared she might give hints that she knew something the others, too, should know about. But she was just so mad at the moment that she couldn't care less of how she was acting.

"Oi, Rukia!"

The loud yell broke the raven-haired woman out of her reverie. Rukia glanced at the orange-haired idiot who called out her name, and stopped walking. Ashido stopped as well.

Ichigo ran up to them, and scratched the back of his head as the petite woman just looked at him when he reached her side.

"What?"

Rukia raised a brow at him. "What 'what'?"

"Uhm…I thought you were going home, so I decided to…walk with you since we're going the same way…"

It felt good to talk to her again after that little incident they had earlier. Ichigo was still hurt, but not mad.

"Aa." She resumed walking, leaving the two men behind.

Ichigo glanced at Ashido and glared at him.

Ashido, however, was too busy observing Rukia to even notice the glares a certain carrot-top was sending his way. He was going to find out what Rukia was hiding. No matter what the risk was. He just didn't have any idea he would be risking too much…

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It was morning already, but Rukia was still ignoring him. He tried to apologize a lot of times, though for what, he didn't know. No one apologizes for being concerned with their friends, right? That was why he immediately dismissed the thought of any attempt to say sorry,

They went to school together as usual, though no words were exchanged between them. The day went by, and Ichigo and his friends noticed the hostile treatment Rukia was giving her maroon-haired friend. And as expected, Ichigo couldn't help grinning to himself.

Afternoon soon came, and Rukia and Ashido were walking home. It was then that Rukia felt that sudden surge of reiatsu from somewhere, heightened only by the metal band on her wrist.

"I…I need to go somewhere. You go ahead." Rukia, with fear gripping her heart tightly, didn't notice how suspicious she sounded, nor the way her companion's eyes narrowed slightly and followed her retreating form…

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Rukia ran to where she felt the reiatsu was. Why was he there now? Wasn't it just…two days since that…that terrible day? How come he was back earlier than expected? Was it because the Hōgyoku in his body was nearing its completion? She found the only man who could answer her questions waiting inside the same abandoned building.

With his back facing her, he said, "So you came."

Rukia, knowing full well what was about to transpire, decide to voice out her inquiries. "Why are you here this soon? I…I thought you'd be back after…3 days?"

Ulquiorra shifted his gaze from the distant horizon outside one of the broken windows to the raven-haired shinigami behind him, his cold green eyes piercing her amethyst pools. "The effects of the union have been going well. My reiatsu was fluctuating for the first few hours, but I found it stable sooner than I expected, and I was capable of coming here soon."

Rukia shivered at the intense gaze the stoic Espada gave her. The memories of the first time came flooding back to her, causing her to flinch and take a step backwards, trying to maintain some distance away from the man.

With the obvious display of fear, Ulquiorra turned to face the shaking woman. "You're shaking." He deadpanned.

Rukia couldn't form coherent words to reply to that. She was afraid…afraid that the events she tried so hard to forget would happen again…and that maybe, she would really lose her sanity this time.

Ulquiorra took a step towards the raven-haired woman, knowing full well that doing so made her all the more afraid.

And Rukia found that out soon, as she felt the cold, hard concrete wall touching her back, telling her that there was no escape for her.

Ulquiorra stood in front of her, his hands in his pockets. He intently observed the raven-haired woman who was staring at him with wide eyes, subconsciously clutching the front of her school uniform. He took one of his hands out of his pocket and tucked a few stray strands of her hair in her ear, taunting her. He leaned in slowly and whispered in he rear in a low, cold voice, "Shall we begin?"

Rukia, on impulse, put her hands on his chest, attempting to push him away. To no avail, though, as the man was a hundredfold more powerful than her, especially in her current weakened state. She felt both of her hands being pressed against the wall over her head, held by one of Ulquiorra's own…

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Ashido swallowed a gikongan and told the kaizō konpaku in his gigai to go home. He suppressed his reiatsu so he wouldn't be noticed by the raven-haired woman who was frantically running away to who-knows-where.

He followed her and saw that she entered in an abandoned building. He vaguely wondered what she would be doing in such a place. When he was sure she was inside and wouldn't look back anymore, he leaped off form the rooftop of the adjacent building and entered the deserted structure. He sensed her reiatsu and followed it, making sure to keep his at minimal level to go by unnoticed. He reached the second floor, and that was when he felt another reiatsu nearby, signaling that the raven-haired shinigami had some company.

It was familiar, the reiatsu, but Ashido couldn't quite place it at the moment. He reached the fourth floor where he felt Rukia was. And there, he saw Rukia, pinned to the wall, her hands above her head, and a man—an arrancar…an Espada—holding them in place. His eyes widened as his mind hysterically processed what was going on, and only one word managed to escape his lips.

"RUKIA!!"

* * *

There. I love Ashido. He's such a great guy. :)

Please review and tell me what you think about the turn of events. Take care everyone! :)


	11. Chapter 10

I AM SOOO SORRY THAT I WASN'T ABLE TO RPELY TO YOUR REVIEWS. I had been busy and wasn't able to go online for a couple of days (after I posted the previous chapter). So as a gift to you guys, I give you another early update! Yay!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed for the previous chap: **Apathetically Concerned, gangsterforever, kaijin-taichou, somebody, Hachimitsu-sama, rukiaichigo15chappy, RaiChia, Cherrylossom snow, rukia death kuchiki, Powerful-phoenix, Crimson Quincy, CrystalICE1, None (the anonymous reviewer), Lynn, Hana-Tenshi, wavebike, AnimeMaster24, da archer, Draven NightHawk, ..., Believing Is Seeing, Jay95, AniMomo, Lori, findingjenny **and **KiANA.**

Special thanks to:

**somebody** for reviewing chap 8.

**Lori **the wonderful, wonderful review!

Please know that all of you are greatly appreciated. Thank you so much, everyone! :)

Oh yeah, I have finished gangserforever's requested fic. It's a short UlquixRuki oneshot. I hope you'' read that, too. :)

Sorry for the OOC-ness.

* * *

"RUKIA!!"

The said raven-haired woman's eyes widened, the fear in her heart increasing as each second passed by and realization was slowly dawning upon her. _Shit. _Ashido!

The stoic man remained calm, not even a single reaction could be seen from him at the presence of the other shinigami. He stared at the woman in front of him, judging through her surprised reactions that he had not been betrayed. Rather, the other man was just plain stupid, trying to meddle with other people's business instead of minding his own. He could've been in his home, sitting by the window, sipping his cup of tea. But no, he would rather meet his doom just because he was too curious—or rather, he was too concerned for this little shinigami. "I see."

Both death gods turned their attention back to the arrancar, both fearing what he was going to do to the other.

Rukia, thinking that Ulquiorra was suspecting her of treachery (and perhaps was now plotting how to kill Ashido), nervously blurted out, "H-He didn't learn it from me! I-I didn't tell him!" _Don't kill him, _it was left unsaid.

Ulquiorra stared at her, long and hard. "You telling him or not matters little to me. It does not make any difference."

Amethyst eyes widened again in alarm at the implications of his statement."Ashido! Run!" She screamed in full force. In a flash, her hands were free, and the man standing in front of her was gone. Ruki immediately looked at the direction of the maroon-haired man, and there _he _stood behind Ashido, blocking the shinigami's sword with the bare back of his hand...

..

..

Ulquiorra was silently assessing his opponent's strength. He tried to finish him off in a single strike, so using sonido, he disappeared from his position in front of the petite woman and appeared behind the maroon-haired shinigami, only to have his strike blocked by his zanpakutou...

..

..

Ashido knew about the Espada. The hollows in the forest of menos always talked about them. But something was strikingly familiar with this particular Espada. His trained eyes were able to see him disappear in a blur and knew he was going to attack from behind. He blocked it with his zanpakutou, and in their close proximity, he finally realized why this being was familiar...

..

..

Images of the past—his comrades' last day in Soul Society—came rushing to him.

"Y-you.." He hissed.

Ulquiorra disappeared one again and showed up a few feet away from the shinigami. His face held no interest with what the other had to say.

"You were the one...You were the one who led _that _attack...I remember...You were...You were still a vasto lorde back then..."

Rukia gaped upon realizing what Ashido was talking about. _That day..._when hollows attacked Seiretei...and he and his nakama were lure into entering Hueco Mundo..and he was the only one who managed to survive. And now, it seems he finally found the root of everything...It was _him. _Ulquiorra.

The Espada showed no sign of recognition and continued looking with boredom at what he deduced was another _trash._

In a fit of blind rage, Ashido fiercely attacked the still calm and composed Espada, all the anger at his friends' deaths claiming his entire being. He let out a battle cry and swung his zanpakutou upwards, ready to thrust it at the waiting arrancar.

Only, it never hit its mark. The stoic man stopped the soul slayer with his thumb and pointer finger.

"I do not remember such insignificant events. But I would not doubt your words. I believe I o not pass up on a chance to eradicate..._trash._" His other hand started glowing a fiery red, and his reiatsu was shooting sky-high.

Gran Rey Cero.

Rukia started panicking. What could she do? She was still weak! But she couldn't just let Ashido die—especially because it was her fault he was here—now--in the first place. But what could she do? She couldn't even change to her spiritual form for crying out loud! She only had one option—one she was sure without a doubt would be of little to no help at all. It was the only thing she considered herself really good at, and it was better to try than to just stand and watch her friend's second death unfold.

The two men were too caught up in their little fight that neither of them actually gave attention to the raven-haired woman with them.

_Oh ruler, mask of flesh and blood, all creation of the universe, fluttering of the wings, ye who bears the name of man!_

Ashido was slashing widely at the Espada who in turn continued to block his attacks while concentrating his reiatsu in his hand.

_Scorching heat and disorder, evolve the transposition of the southern sea barrier._

Ulquiorra raised his hand, ready to shoot his cero.

"Hadou no sanjuuichi: Shakkahou!"

There was a huge explosion, and the surrounding walls and the ground shattered like fragile glass pieces at the impact. Ulquiorra stared at his now burnt hand. His cero was redirected to the wall, thanks to the kidou blast—a suspiciously strong kidou blast—the petite shinigami fired at his arm. His cold eyes slowly looked at her now panting form, obviously exhausted by the attack she made. The maroon-haired man was now at her side, his sword in a defensive stance.

The stoic man idly placed his hand in his pocket and stared at the petite woman. "Shinigami..."

Rukia's gaze shot up from the floor where her knees and palms were resting to the arrancar she feared she had angered.

"I need not remind you of the consequences of this, do I?" His statement, though monotonously delivered, dropped with murderous intent.

Rukia involuntarily shivered. She knew what that impulsive action entailed, be she had no choice. She had to save Ashido! It appears she had no choice but to tell everyone about this, or I she doesn't, ashio will. If they survive, that is.

"What is he saying, Rukia?" Ashido asked the small woman without looking back at her.

"Very well." Ulquiorra interjected. "Let me remind you of what you have forgotten." The Espada was in front of the maroon-haired man before any of them could blink. His hand was piercing Ashido's chest, as blood spewed out of the maroon-haired man's mouth. Ashido coughed roughly, surprise and pain written all over his face.

Time seemed to slow down as Rukia watched her comrade fall down, a pool of his own blood forming below his body.

Ulquiorra watched with obvious boredom as the male shinigami struggled to live. He turned to face the woman who stared wide-eyed at her dying friend. He took slow steps towards her shaking form, and then held her by the neck. "I have warned you, yet you do not heed."

Rukia's eyes closed on its own accord as the man choked her. She felt her body being thrown away and slamming to a hard wall, one that actually managed to survive the explosion. She was on the brink of unconsciousness when Ulquiorra approached her again.

"I will be back sooner than you expect, so keep watch." His form started to disintegrate, and vanished completely within moments.

Thank goodness he was gone. The cero must have used a large part of his spiritual energy. Rukia was mulling over these thoughts when she remembered her dying comrade. She force her eyes to stay open. She needed to get help. _She needed to get Ashido some help. _Staggering to her feet and cursing under her breath, she made her way to Ashido's fallen form, all the while berating herself for not bringing her Soul Pager today of all days. With much difficulty, her blood flowing from a gash on her head upon its meeting with the wall slightly impeding her vision, Rukia put one of Ashido's arms around her shoulders and held his waist, letting his full weight rest on her. He needed medical attention, and he needed it right now. To spiritually unaware passersby, she might look stupid, holding on t something...not really there at all, and walking like she was drunk. But that was the last thing on her mind at present...

..

..

..

..

Four Soul Pagers went off at the same time.

"Go get it, Ikkaku." Rangiku chirped, too engrossed in the fashion magazine resting on her lap.

"Eh, why me? You were the one who noticed it first." The bald shinigami retorted, yawning after.

"I thought you might like some action." The buxom strawberry blonde reasoned.

"That's probably just some weak hollow. That's hardly what I could call action."

"Ne, you're just too lazy to get up."

"You're one to talk! Yumichika, go get it!"

The said narcissist flipped his hair and ignored them.

A vein threatened to explode from a certain red-head as he listened to his lazy companions passing around their duties. He slammed his fist on the center table when he finally lost his patience. "Dammit! Kuchiki-taichou and Hitsugaya-taichou would yell at us once they come back from their rounds when they find out we're a;; passing our duties to one another!"

"Ne, I don't think Kuchiki-taichou is capable of yelling, Renji."Rangiku said.

Renji resisted the urge to pull his hair off. "That's not the point, Rangiku-san!"

"Why don't you go get it then, Renji?" Ikakku interjected.

"Fine." The red-head scowled at them. However, as he was about to stand up, the insistent ringing of became frnatic, a signal of an increase in released reiatsu. Four heads immediately shot up, each grabbing their soul pagers and running out the door without so much as a notice to the blonde shop owner of the place they were currently staying at...

..

..

..

..

Urahara and Tessai immediately rushed to the door upon hearing the hysterical yells of a certain petite woman. The blonde captain was surprise at the bloodied state of Rukia and Ashido, and instantly ushered them in the shop. Tessai took Ashido from the small shinigami and wasted no time tending to his wounds. Urahara's observing, calculating eyes left Ashido and landed at Rukia.

"What happened, Kuchiki-san?" He cautiously approahed the tired and wounded woman, healing kidou already glowing in his hands.

Rukia refused to talk. She should know Ashido's condition first before she would blurt out anything. She averted her amethyst orbs from Urahara's intent gaze to Ashido who was currently under Tessai's care. She saw some of his wounds heal, yet the deepest, most fatal one on his chest refused to stop bleeding.

"He was hit in a pressure point. It's really, really deep..." Tessai trailed off.

Rukia found her voice then. "W-will he die?"

Tessai shook his head. "No, but he won't probably wake up for a long time."

The relief that washed Rukia for a moment was gone in the next. "Wh-what? Isn't there anything you could do?"

"I'm sorry. All we could do is let him rest and heal his wounds on his own. He is slowly stabilizing now, but he wouldn't wake up anytime soon."

"Now, now, Kuchiki-san, could you tell me what happened?" Urahara inquired again.

Rukia looked at the blonde captain, weighing the pro's and con's of telling him the truth. She badly wanted to tell someone, but she just wasn't sure if Urahara was an option.

"Well..." She gulped nervously, still unsure of what to do. However, the shoji doors opened before her mouth could.

"Dammit, it was your fault, Rangiku!" Ikkaku complained.

"Me? It was you who was too lazy to get up and get it!" Rangiku defended.

"Stop it, Rangiku-san, Ikkaku-san." Renji shouted.

Yumichika opened the door to the shop's main room and found maroon-haired shingami lying on the floor, Tessai tending his wounds, and a raven-haired woman, bloodied and bruised, talking with Urahara.

The three stopped their argument and looked at the sight.

"Rukia! What happened?" Renji immediately rushed to his childhood friend's side, scanning her body for other wounds.

"I-I'm okay, Renji...Ashido and I just..." With all these people around, Rukia couldn't help but feel..intimidated. She felt like saying the truth would e too degrading—that they would look down at her...pity her...be disgusted at her. Sure, they were her friends but...who's to say they'll be able to accept it easily? So, she did what she deemed best at the moment. "We just encountered a really powerful hollow...and Ashido took a strong blow...and...and now, he's hurt..."

"Was it the hollow in the abandoned building?" Rangiku took a seat next to Rukia who nodded at the strawberry blonde's inquiry.

"Ah. Figures. We went there, but there was no more sign of the hollow, nor of the shinigami who killed it. If only we arrived earlier, we could've helped." The buxom woman glared at the bald head at the end of her statement.

Renji looked at his childhood friend, still uneasy about what has been said. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Rukia nodded weakly—she would've smiled if she could afford it at the moment just to reassure her friend. But she couldn't.

Just then, the two powerful captains arrived.

"Taichou, what have you found out?" Rangiku immediately asked.

Toushirou sighed in obvious exasperation. "Nothing. Everything seems to be normal, especially now that the communication is back." He paused to look around the room and found his two wounded comrades. "What happened, Kuchiki?"

Rukia's eyes widened as she felt the stare of her brother on her. He was the foremost reason why she didn't want to tell them. Yes, their relationship as siblings had greatly progressed. But in spite of that, what happened to her was something she still wasn't sure how her brother would react to.

"They fought a hollow, and both took bad blows." Renji answered for her.

"I see. Well, if it wasn't anything out of the ordinary, I fear we need to go back to Soul Society now. We need to give our reports and see what they have found there." The white-haired prodigy announced.

"When do we leave, taichou?" His lieutenant inquired.

"Now." He sighed in resignation.

"H-Hitsugaya-taichou, Kuchiki-taichou, can I...stay here?" Renji sounded almost pleading.

Toushirou looked at Byakuya who was staring at his sister. The small captain rubbed the bridge of his nose before replying. "I'm afraid you can't, Abarai. We were ordered to return as soon as we find out the condition of the living world. We will all be in trouble, not to menton you will definitely receive a punishment for overstaying."

Renji looked down dejectedly. "H-Hai."

"Let us leave now, then."

The members of the advanced shinigami troop stood up and walked towards the door. Rukia, Urahara and Tessai turned to give their farewells.

"Rukia..." That was the first word Byakuya muttered throughout the entire time.

Rukai immediately looked up at her brother, wondering if he had seen through her lies. Byakuya took a step towards the petite woman, and to everyone's surprise, put is hand on top of her head.

"N-nii-sama..." She gasped.

He leaned in, so only she could hear what he had to say. "Take good care of yourself. And never hesitate to ask for my help." he said everything in the same emotionless monotone, but that didn't matter to Rukia. She could clearly see the concern in his soft eyes. She nodded fervently at him.

"Hai. Arigatou, nii-sama."

Renji opened the familiar shoji doors that ed to Soul society. Six hell butterflies flew out and guided them back. When the portal closed, Urahar quickly turned to Rukia.

"No, Kuchiki-san, I'm afraid Ashido-san needs to stay here."

"I...I understand." She said, not really sure where he was taking the conversation.

"It is quite dangerous for you to live on your own, Kuchiki-san, so I guess we do not have a choice."

Rukia just blinked at him. "Are you saying that...I should stay here as well?"

Urahara immediately reverted to his cheerful persona. "Of course not, Kuchiki-san! We're all busy here and no one's gonna be able to look after you!"

Rukia huffed at his statement. "I don't need anyone to look after me. I'm not a child."

"Of course you do! This world isn't safe for cute girls like yourself, Kuchiki-san."

Rukia frowned at him, suspecting his schemes. "Then what do you suggest I do?"

"Why, go back to the Kurosaki house of course!"

"Wh-what?! But--"

"RUKIA-CHAAAAAAN!"

Rukia's eyes widened at the familiar voice. "How did you contact him? I didn't see you leave!" She hissed at the blonde captain.

Urahara flipped open his infamous fan. "I have my ways, Kuchiki-san."

She narrowed her eyes at him but before she could retort, she found herself enveloped in a tight bear-hug.

"Oh, my beautiful third daughter! I am so glad you're finally coming home! Masaki! Our daugher's coming home!"

All thoughts of suspicion flew out of Rukia's mind as she struggled to breathe.

"Now, now, Isshin-san. It's getting a bi late, don't you think? You two should head home now. I'll ave Kuchiki-san's things delivered to your house first thing in the morning."

"But, Ashido--"

"He'll be fine with us, Kuchiki-san. Now, off you go!" The blonde businessman pushed the two all the way to Isshi's car.

"I came as soon as he said you were coming home." Isshin said as he drove. "I'm glad you're finally back, Rukia-chan. They would all be ecstatic when they see you."

"Aa." her mind drifted back to the Kurosaki home. What would be waiting for her there? Will Yuzu still be as warm as she used to be? Will Karin continue...snobbing her? Will Ichigo be happy or pissed off? Will Orihime—that's right. Orihime was still there. Rukia groaned to herself. She hadn't solve one problem yet, and now she's heading to another one. She was so deep in thought that she didn't know they had arrived if isshin had not told her so.

"Ah, we're here."

Both opened their respective car doors and went out, walkings side-by-side towards the Kurosaki front door. Isshin pressed the door bell and waited for one of his children to open the door for them.

Not a moment later, the knob turned and the door opened, revealing a young girl with shoulder-length black hair. Karin.

The said girl smirked as she saw who was at the door. "Welcome back...Rukia-chan."

* * *

There. Not much of a cliffy, ne? Next chap would be revolving Rukia, Ichigo and Orihime. Another character will be introduced so watch out for that. In the meantime, please review this one! Take care everyone! :)


	12. Chapter 11

Yes, I know I haven't updated for quite a long time. Sorry. I didn't find the motivation to write this chap. You see, the reviews for the previous chap dropped, and it wasn't until a few days ago that the reviews started coming in again. So here's an update for everyone! :D

Thanks to those who reviewed for the previous chap: **Crimson Quincy, findingjenny, AnimeMaster24, Apathetically Concerned, CO Raven, gangsterforever, Hachimitsu-sama, None (the anonymous reviewer), RaiChia, Lynn, kaijin-tachou, Itachi's Nail Polish, Believing Is Seeing, narquotic, CrystalICE1, Kano Yamakai, Hana-Tensi, Lori, seccaberry, Tauvian, Sedona, Chaps, Highlighter, **and** Bunny Slippers.**

Special thanks to:

**kaijin-taichou **for the double review.

Yeah, the previous chap was typed in a rush, so there was a lot of typos in it. So does this one. Sorry, I've been rushing things 'cause I don't really have the luxury of time. Anyways, I hope this works.

Sorry for the OOC-ness.

* * *

Karin stared at her ever-scowling brother who was obviously agitated due to something. He had been like that for the past few days and the short-haired girl was beginning to entertain the idea that her brother was slowly losing his sanity. The Kurosaki family and Orihime were eating their breakfast, with Ichigo glaring at everything. He was still thinking of last night's events.

He walked with Rukia and Ashido last night, hoping to somehow get some time to talk to his friend. But alas, he just caught her in an extremely bad mood. At first, he was actually a bit happy to see Rukia giving her maroon-haired friend the cold shoulder. However, the grin on his face turned to a full-blown frown when Rukia refused to talk to him as well.

Ichigo sighed in a resigned fashion as he and Orihime made their way towards their school. Things had been going pretty smoothly between the two. Well, as smooth as things can be when one obviously doesn't care how things go, just like Ichigo was. Except for coming to and leaving school together everyday, there weren't really any signs that Orihime and Ichigo were indeed together—there were no stolen glances, no longing looks, no caresses or kisses, no public displays of affection...heck, not even private! Secretly, Orihime had been planning on ending things between him and Kurosaki-kun. The pain had been too much for her to bear. The wait had been too long. She still loved him—she doubted if she'd ever stop—but she had decided that enough was enough. She would set him free continue loving him from afar if that was what would make him happy. She was only waiting for Ichigo to make a move—any move—to make the woman he loved his.

They entered the school grounds, not even uttering a single word to each other—something they have both been used to everytime they were together—as whatever brain the orange-haired idiot had was flying off to somewhere…again. Just as they were about to enter their classroom door, they saw a certain ravenhaired woman rounding a corner, followed by her maroon-haired friend. The taller of the two kept on calling the other's name, but Rukia was obviously still pissed at him that she refused to acknowledge his presence. The petite woman stopped in front of the couple and muttered a quick "ohayō" after catching Ichigo's amber orbs on her. Ichigo grinned inwardly—one point for him. Rukia might be acting cold towards the orange-haired idiot, but still, she was giving him her attention, unlike the neglected maroon-head. The glint in Ichigo's eyes didn't escape Orihime's notice. She sighed to herself and made her way to the classroom where she was immediately greeted by a glasses-wearing man.

..

..

..

..

School just breezed by and before they knew it, the bell had rung. Rukia was one of the first who made their way out the door, so Ichigo had no chance to grab her and demand that they talk—not that he had anything particular to say. So he and Orihime quietly trudged home, with Ichigo randomly kicking rocks along the way.

Orihime looked up at the orange sky and decided that she would settle things tonight…if she was able to muster up the courage, that is.

* * *

Yuzu was preparing dinner for that night when the head of the family received a phone call. Karin watched with little interest as Ishhin's face broke into a wide grin while saying "I'm coming." She couldn't guess where he was going, nor did she have the time to ask as her father practically leaped out of the house straight into his car then drove off.

Meanwhile, Ichigo was sitting in front of his desk, his book wide open in front of him while he tapped his pen on it. His mind was on its default mode—thinking about a certain petite shinigami. A knock on his door brought him back to reality as he stood up and opened it.

"Inoue…"

Orihime tried not to wince. Not even once during their time together did Ichigo call her by her first name—something he does so naturally when it came to Rukia.

"Kurosaki-kun, I need to tell you something…" She started.

..

..

..

..

It was only a few minutes after he left that Isshin came back, and now, he had Rukia in tow. Yuzu had just finished cooking and was on to preparing the table when the doorbell rang. Karin stood up from her position on the couch—her nose buried in a sports magazine—and made her way to open the front door. To her surprise—and she mentally patted her back for not showing it—the person who made her Ichi-nii's…err…"love life" miserable stood next to her dad. She smirked at the petite woman and said, "Welcome back, Rukia-chan."

..

..

..

..

"What is it, Inoue?" Ichigo asked as he returned to his desk.

Orihime took a deep breath. "You see, you and—"

They heard a shrill squeal—one that was unmistakably from Yuzu—downstairs. Ichigo immediately jumped off his chair, taking his substitute shinigami badge with him and climbed down the stairs, Orihime on his heels.

"Yuzu!" Ichigo yelled. There was Yuzu, tears filling her soft eyes, sniffing while wiping the salty liquid off her face. Her gaze was fixed straight ahead, so Ichigo followed her eyes and saw what made her cry, his own amber eyes widening and then softening in the process.

There stood in the doorway, Isshin beside her and Karin holding the door for her, was the woman who haunted his thoughts.

"Rukia…" He slowly stepped down the last two steps of the stairs and stood beside Yuzu.

Rukia looked at the varying reactions they gave her: Karin continued to smirk at her, Yuzu was shedding tears of joy, Ichigo's soft and warm amber orbs were staring at her, and Orihime was…Orihime was smiling warmly at her.

"Rukia-nee-chan!" Yuzu ran towards the petite woman and wrapped her thin arms around the other woman's slim waist. "I'm glad you're back, Rukia-nee."

"Aa." Rukia smiled at the younger girl, her heart swelling with too many emotions.

"MASAKI!! I'M SO HAPPY!! OUR FAMILY'S COMPLETE AGAIN!" Isshin jumped towards the poster on the wall and cried his heart out, effectively breaking the moment.

"Yuzu, I think you need to add one more plate for dinner." Ichigo said in an uncharacteristically soft voice, turning his back to them and walking towards the dining area.

"Ah, right!" The youngest Kurosaki broke from the embrace and rushed to the kitchen to get a plate, a bowl and chopsticks.

Dinner was good, and Yuzu kept on asking how Rukia was while she was away. This conversation finally piqued Ichigo's interest and he joined in.

"So, what made you…uhh…decide to come back?" He asked softly and slowly so as not to get misunderstood by the raven-haired woman. She might think he wanted her away again, when their distance had been slowly eating him alive.

Rukia tensed for a moment—an action Orihime, Karin and Ichigo noticed—before putting on a sad smile.

"Well…Ashido and I had a run in with a…strong hollow…And…he got injured really badly…and…"

"Kisuke-san thought it best for Rukia to stay with us." Isshin cheerfully interjected.

Karin frowned lightly—there they go again with that shinigami crap. She inwardly sighed as she knew it was impossible to keep his Ichi-nii from it, especially since Rukia-chan staying with them implied that her Ichi-nii needed to protect her again. If he loved her, then it was an inevitable thing. She had learned to accept it a few days ago after seeing what the effects of Rukia-chan's being away from him were.

"Do you want me to…to come and heal him, Kuchiki-san?" Orihime's voice broke the momentary silence.

Rukia immediately looked at the auburn-haired girl and nodded. She might be able to heal him better than Tessai did.

"Ah, do it tomorrow, Orihime-chan. It's late. Now, now, all of you should go to bed."

Sleeping—that was another issue they hadn't discussed yet.

Karin, upon realizing that Rukia didn't know that Orihime was now occupying her old bed, opened the topic up. "Orihime-chan is using your old bed now, Rukia-chan. And her things are in your closet as well, so I fear you couldn't stay in our room anymore." It was said without hesitation that Yuzu misunderstood it.

"Karin-chan…"

Karin gave her twin a look, and in an instant, Yuzu understood that her twin was doing this for their brother. Yuzu had observed her Onii-chan as well, and knew perfectly well how he felt for her Rukia-nee. She decided to help her twin's schemes. "Rukia-nee, you can stay at Onii-chan's room again. You used to stay there, right?"

Rukia's eyes widened at the twins' statements. She blinked at them and then looked at Orihime, who was surprisingly smiling at her, and then at Ichigo who was looking to the side while scratching the back of his head.

"But..." Rukia trailed off.

"Come on now, my lovely daughters! You have school tomorrow! You have to sleep so you don't lose any of your beauty!"

Everyone went to their respective rooms as Rukia reluctantly followed Ichigo to his. There was an awkward silence, and Rukia chose to rummage through the closet expecting her bed to still be there. It wasn't.

"W-where's my futon?" Rukia asked, still looking inside the closet just so she wouldn't have to face Ichigo.

"I...Well, I moved it, since no one's using it." He replied. Truth was, the mattress was kept safe under his bed. During Orihime's short stay in his room, he found out that her things couldn't all fit in the closet since the futon was using some of the space. So instead of disposing it, he kept it under his bed.

"Then...then where am I supposed to sleep?" Rukia unconsciously turned around and was now face to face with Ichigo.

He shrugged. "You could...well, you could share the bed with me..."

Rukia gaped at him. "W-what?!"

"Well there's no way I'm sleeping on the cold, hard floor for you!" He yelled.

Rukia looked at the floor, seriously considering the option. She knew however that besides not being able to get any sleep at all there, she would surely have a backache in the morning.

Ichigo scowled at her. Does she seriously want to sleep on the floor?! "Ah, I'm going to sleep!" He went to his bed and laid under the covers.

Rukia looked at his laying form for a long time before sighing dejectedly. She walked over to the bed and slipped under the covers, trying to maintain as much distance from the orange-haired teen as possible. It wasn't long before her tired eyes closed and sleep overcame her.

When he heard her even breathing, Ichigo rolled over to face the petite woman. He stared at her peaceful face, his hands longing to caress her angelic features. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, and he gently placed his arms around her tiny form, smiling even more as the petite woman unconsciously snuggle closer to him. He placed her head on the crook of his neck and rested his chin on top of it. His fingers found her soft raven locks and buried themselves on her tresses. He felt her sigh contentedly in her sleep, and he tightened his embrace while placing a chaste kiss on top of her head. How long had he waited for them to be where they were now...

* * *

Rukia felt refreshed and well-rested compared to her last few nights. She felt so at ease and comfortable..and so warm. She snuggled even closer to the source of warmth, until her face rested on something solid. Her eyes snapped open when she felt a thump from the warmth's source. She looked up and found Ichigo's peaceful and scowl-free face. Her amethyst orbs softened as she stared at the man who held her so close...she could tilt her head just a little more and her lips would surely rest on his. She knew now that the time she spent away from him only strengthened her feelings for the man.

"I missed you..." She whispered almost inaudibly. She sighed and wiggled herself gently out of his grasp so as not to wake him up. She got up from the bed and made her way to the bathroom.

Everything was pretty normal that morning. Everyone woke up and headed to the dining area for breakfast. Ichigo was in an incredibly good mood, though no one dared to comment on it. Orihime was smiling, albeit sadly, as she observed the carrot-top. Rukia remained oblivious. It was just like the old times, when she used to stay in the Kurosaki home. It felt like she never left at all. Other than the absence of Ichigo's infamous scowl, everything was normal.

That was until they felt a sudden disturbance...a foreign reiatsu. It was entering the living world...right outside their house.

Rukia, Ichigo and Orihime all got up and ran outside the house. Isshin chose to stay with his daughters so he could protect them when the need arose.

The three teens looked heavenward as they felt the reiatsu concentrating on a particular spot. Not a moment later, a tear in the dimension started to form, and a garganta opened. Grabbing his badge, Ichigo stared at the portal until her heard someone scream.

"ITSUGOOOOOOO!"

A certain ex-Espada came flying towards the orange-haired substitute shinigami.

"N-Nel?!" Ichigo was shocked and bewildered at the ex-Espada's sudden appearance.

"Itsugo!" Nel was crying tears of joy at seeing the orange-haired shinigami again.

Dondochakka and Pesche came out of the garganta shortly after Nel.

"What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked the two, confusion clearly written on his face.

"Eh, we need you to take care of Nel at the moment." Pesche cheerfully replied.

Ichigo frowned for the first time that morning. "What? Why?"

"We need to do a few things and we can't look after Nel while we do those." Dondochakka supplied.

"Things? What kind of things?"

"Ehhhh...Will you look at the time! Dondochakka, let's go back! We need to start on those things that we need to do! Goodbye!"

Before Ichigo could voice out his suspicions, the two went through the garganta. He brought his attention back to the small arrancar, only to find her sleeping in his arms.

"Oi, Nel."

The girl only stirred slightly before burying her head deeper on Ichigo's chest, sound asleep. The carrot-top sighed as he led the women back to the house.

Ichigo ended up explaining to his family who the little girl sleeping in his arms was, but not before Isshin yelled "Granddaughter!", and the carrot-top needed to hit him upside the head.

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A captains' meeting was immediately called upon the arrival of the Special Shinigami Troop. Everyone was expecting some information, and they were all disappointed to know that the special squad had none.

"We found nothing, sõtaichõ. We have searched the area beside Karakura and found that everything was in place." The white-haired taichõ of the 10th divison reported. "Except for the temporary disturbance in the communication with Soul Society, the resident shinigami said everything was normal there. Also...we have failed to find the cause of the said disturbance."

"Too bad. I was hoping I'd get to fight." Zaraki Kenpachi interjected. "Maybe I could go give Ichigo a visit." He wore the same murderous grin on his face.

"Don't worry about it, Hitsugaya-taichõ. The 12th division is developing some new technology to pin point what exactly caused the disruption in the communication links." Kurotsuchi Mayuri, who was in the meeting in his captain's stead, boasted, though no one seemed to lend him an ear.

"Ah, I think everything being in place should make us all the more worried, right, Yama-jii?" Kyoraku Shunsui commented, smiling as he tilted his hat.

Everyone kept quiet and focused on the 8th division captain.

"We wouldn't want to be caught off guard again, ne?" He replied to the questioning gazes.

Yamamoto-sõtaichõ tapped his staff on the floor to get everyone's attention. His narrowed eyes focused on all of them.

"I agree with Kyoraku-taichõ. We should all be on our guards. Thank you, Hitsugaya-taichõ. That is all I wish to discuss. Dismissed."

The captains started to leave the hall one by one. Yoruichi, who stayed silent during the whole meeting, chose to stay behind and talk to the Commander General.

"Sõtaichõ."

"What is it, Shihõin-taichõ?"

"I would like to request for permission to let me stay in the living world to continue observing the developments of this case."

There was a pause before the general answered, "You want to be of assistance to Urahara-taichõ?"

"Hai."

"Very well. Take your leave."

"Arigatõ, sõtaichõ."

Yoruichi turned to leave, but was stopped when the commander general spoke again.

"Be sure to inform us of what you learn from Urahara Kisuke. I have a feeling that he knows more than he would let on."

"Hai." The goddess of flash shunpoed her way out, thinking of ways on how to force Urahara into submission.

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Ichigo sighed as he looked at the sleeping child arrancar on his bed. "I can't just leave her here. Who knows what ruckus she'll cause in the house when she wakes up?"

"Don't worry, my son! I'll take care of your daughter!"

"The more I should be worried. And she's not my daughter, you psycopath!"

"But you do need to go to school, Onii-chan." Yuzu chimed in.

"I know, I know."

"I'll stay here to look after her"

Everyone looked at the petite woman.

"You're forgetting school, Rukia."

Rukia rolled her eyes at him. "You're forgetting I don't need school, Ichigo. I don't need the education from this world."

"Whatever. Do what you want, you stubborn midget."

Rukia smirked at him. "You and Orihime should go. You'll be late."

Orihime and Ichigo, although a bit reluctant, made their way out the door and walked towards their school.

"Kurosaki-kun..."

It was then that Ichigo remembered she was supposed to tell him something last night.

"Oh, yeah. Inoue, what was that you were supposed to tell me last night?"

Orihime abruptly stopped walking. Ichigo followed suit.

"Kurosaki-kun...I know..." She swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat and the sobs that wanted so badly to escape from her lips. "I know how you feel for Kuchiki-san...I see how she makes you happy by just being there...And I know...that there is no one else in you heart but her, Kurosaki-kun."

Ichigo began to panic when he heard the crack in her voice. If she cried, hell, he didn't know what he would do! But...what she was saying was...It was surprisingly the truth that he had been searching for the whole time. He knew there was something in his heart for the petite woman, but as dense and inexperienced as he was, he couldn't quite place it. Orihime had just succeeded in voicing it out for him, though.

"I...I knew from the very beginning...From the time that you gave your everything to save her from execution...I knew back then that you were more than just nakama. But I had been selfish...and I got in your way." The tears started falling freely on her face. "I'm sorry Kurosaki-kun...Im sorry that I insisted even if I knew from the very start that there was no chance for us..."

Orihime gasped in surprise when she felt his strong arms enclose her in an embrace.

"Thank you, Inoue." It was all he could say at the moment. He felt extremely happy at the prospect of him and Rukia together, and he felt grateful to Inoue for paving the way.

"No, Kurosaki-kun. Thank _you._" She let her arms encircle his waist and return the embrace, perhaps, for the very last time...

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Rukia sat at Ichigo's desk, watching the child arrancar sleep when a certain voice she knew so well drifted through the open window.

"NEE-SAAAAAAAN!!"

In came a lion plushy, arms outstretched, and flying straight towards the petite woman's chest—but landed on the floor, face down, the heels of the same petite woman's feet on his back.

"Ah, nee-san" You don't know how much I missed you! Please keep me nee-san! I don't wanna go back to _that _place! It's horrible!" He wailed.

"Shut up, Kon! You'll wake Nel up." Rukia hissed at the lion plushy.

"Itsugo?" Too late the little arrancar had already awaken due to the noise.

"He isn't home at the moment, Nel. He went to school."

"School?"

"It's the place where he studies...where he learns a lot of different things."

"Oh...How about Orihime-chan?"

"She's...she's with him." Rukia replied in a quiet voice.

"Oh...They really look good together."

Rukia flinched at that. "A-Aa."

Kon quietly watched the exchange, lying forgotten on the ground.

"You should have seen the look on Itsugo's face when he fought Grimmjow to save Orihime-chan. He looked so determined, and he was ready to give up everything to save her. I was afraid he would die saving her, but when she cheered for him, he had a new passion...And he won easily."

It was hard for Rukia to hear those words. She knew about his fight with Grimmjw, but she never learned all of those details. She suddenly felt her knees go weak, so she sat on the edge of the bed.

Nel was so lost in her own thoughts to even notice Rukia's inner turmoil.

"Ah, let me show you!" The little arrancar excitedly said.

Rukia would have said no, but Nel beat her to it. Using the ability that was common to all the Espada, the little arrancar rummaged through her memory for that particular moment, and projected it into the air.

There was Ichigo, looking slightly beaten but contented. He was looking at Orihime with those warm amber eyes, asking her if she was okay. Orihime was crying as she smiled a little and told him she was alright. Nel seemed to have jumped on to Ichigo the next moment for his chest was all Rukia could see for a few seconds, before his face appeared again, looking at the child arrancar as he gently dropped her on the ground. He looked back at Orihime...and offered his hand...which the buxom woman tearfully but happily took.

Rukia forced a smile despite the tears that was starting to fill her eyes. "Y-you're right. They do look good together..." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

A knock on the door disturbed their thoughts, and Yuzu poked her head in. "Rukia-nee? I just came back from school, and I was wondering if you and Nel-chan would like to join me in making cookies."

"Cookies?" A confused Nel asked.

Rukia smiled at Nel. "Come with Yuzu-chan, Nel, so you'll know what cookies are." She turned towards the young Kurosaki. "I'm afraid I'll have to pass, though. There's something important I need to do."

"Are you okay, Rukia-nee?" Yuzu asked, her eyes filled with concern.

"Of course, Yuzu-chan." Rukia gently pushed Nel, who excitedly got out of bed, towards Yuzu. "Have fun."

Rukia breathed out a sigh of relief as the door closed. She leaned on it and gently slid down to the floor.

Sha had forgotten the toher occupant of the room.

"Nee-san?"

Rukia looked at the lion plushy crwaling towards her.

"Are you okay, nee-san?"

Rukia couldn't force words out anymore. She had forgotten that Kon was with them so immediately after the door closed, she let the pain wash her that she couldn't force her tears back anymore. She stood up and headed towards the window.

"I-I'll be back. I just..need to do some things." She had managed to choke out.

Rukia knew she couldn't fool the kaizõ konpaku, not after all that it witnessed. She just hoped he understood her. She jumped out of the window, not really knowing where to go...

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Ichigo had never been this excited to leave class. He couldn't wait to see Rukia...couldn't wait to make things right between them...couldn't wait to finally admit how he truly felt for her. He stopped at the last thought. Was he really ready? Or rather, did she feel the same? Ah, to hell with it. He would like to know either way. He waited for Orihime to finish packing up so they cold go home immediately. Things were surprisingly better between them after their short confrontation that morning. Sure, Orihime might have blurted out more than she should have, but that just made Ichigo trust her more. They both decided to remain good friends, and Orihime couldn't help but feel happier at their current state.

"You go on ahead, Kurosaki-kun. I'll be dropping by the Urahara Shõten to check up on Ashido-kun."

"You sure you don't want me to walk you there?"

Orihime shook her head. "Tatsuki-chan will accompany me."

"If that's the case...then, see you later!" He dashed out of the classroom door in an instant.

Tatsuki shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe you let him go."

Orihime smiled at her, a truly happy one. "I didn't. I never had him."

"You look happy, why's that?"

"Maybe because I know I'm not hurting anyone anymore."

"Aa. Let's go."

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She had been walking around town for who knows how long, and she still didn't know where to go. Rukia sighed to herself as she continued pondering her feelings, and what she saw from Nel's memories. She couldn't force out of her mind the way Ichigo's eyes softened when he looked at Orihime...or the way his hand closed tightly on hers. So was he...was he in love with Orihime all along? The familiar tug on her chest became more insistent as she slowly mad her way to the riverbank. She thought back on all the time Ichigo smirked at her...yelled at her...and how Ganju once told her that Ichigo told him why the carrot-top was determined to save her from execution—_he owed her_. He didn't owe Orihime anything...but still...Rukia didn't want to continue her train for thoughts.

It was ironic that t started to rain when she was trying to dry her face from her tears...

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Ichigo arrived at the house pretty early. He ran towards his room, pausing only for a moment to see what Yuzu and Nel were doing in the kitchen, before continuing towards his destination. He honestly expected Rukia to be there, so he was disappointed to find it empty. Unknown to him, it wasn't. He was about to go downstairs and ask Yuzu where Rukia was, when the neglected occupant of the room spoke.

"Oi...Ichigo..."

Ichigo quickly turned towards the familiar voice, only to see the usually noisy lion plushy staring at him in all seriousness.

"Kon! Where's Rukia?"

Kon sadly looked at the window.

Ichigo scowled at all the drama. "Oi!"

Kon sighed. "She ran away..."

"What?! Why?"

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Rukia's head was down. She felt so stupid. How would she explain her behavior? What would she say when Isshin and Yuzu asked her why she was wet? What would she tell Kon when the modsoul asked her why she ran away? What would she tell Ichigo when he found out she ran away?

Suddenly, the rain stopped pouring...although, it was only the rain around her that did.

"What are you doing her by yourself?" A strangely soft familiar voice asked.

She didn't need to look up to know who it was, but the softness in his voice made her do so.

Ichigo stood there, holding an umbrella in his hand to shelter them both from the rain, looking at her with such warmth in his amber eyes that she felt herself staring at him in awe.

"Ichigo..."

"Idiot. Don't you run away like that again. Ever." He said in a voice that left no room for discussion.

Rukia wanted to cry at the intensity of his gaze on her. He almost looked like he was...in love with her...though he didn't say anything of that kind.

"Ichi—"

And suddenly, no words were needed to be uttered as two pairs of lips met for the sweetest silence of all...

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Orihime was ushered immediately when she arrived at the shõten. She was led by Tessai towards the room where Ashido was. She knelt in front of the resting man as she called for her powers.

That was when she felt a reiatsu around the sleeping form..a reiatsu that she was so familiar with. And she would never commit a mistake in identifying the particular reiatsu...not after all he time she spent with him...

Her eyes widened upon the confirmation. "This...This is Ulquiorra's..."

* * *

As much as I would have wanted it to end in the IchiRuki scene, I felt the need to leave a little something that would connect this story to next chap's plot.

Anyways, this is my longest Schemes chap so far, and I really hope you liked the way things went.

So yeah, the character I said I would introduce was Nel. Did anyone expect an OC? I suck at creating my own characters, so no OC's will ever be included in this story.

Oh yeah, Rukia failed to see that Ichigo gave Nel the same look since Nel was hugging his chest then, blocking his face from view. I still hate that particular episode in the anime. Anyways, I just read the latest manga chap, and I am absolutely delighted to see the way Ichigo looked relieved to see Rukia okay. Finally, a reunion! Yay!

I'm sorry if the grammar and spelling errors made your head hurt.

Thanks for reading! Please review! Remember, the more reviews, the faster the update. Take care everyone!:D


	13. Chapter 12

Thanks to everyone who reviewed for the previous chap!

**kaijin-taichou, Hachimitsu-sama, Crimson Quincy, rukia death kuchiki, Fused-Chappy, None (the anonymous reviewer), Cherryblossom snow, CrystalICE1, abrokencitysky, Lynn, t, AnimeMaster24, narquotic, Sakura1009, Draven NightHawk, findingjenny, RaiChia, rukiaichigo15chappy, Lori, disinterested, Rhyjle, Kano Yamakai, Hana-Tenshi, Ninja23, Lazy Mew, seccaberry, BLT, BunnySlippers, Sedona, ichiruki77, Vi **and** Iana Sabelle.**

Special thanks to:

**Ninja23** for reviewing the prologue, and chapters 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 9.

**Lazy Mew** for reviewing chapters 8, 9 and 10.

**Iana Sabelle** for reviewing the prologue, and chapters 1, 2, 3, 4 and 10. And for editing this fic! Luvvles ya! :D

Eep! I feel so ashamed! I just managed to muster enough courage to go over this fic, and oh what horror! There were a million spelling and grammar errors! Letters were missing, prepositions were misused, etc. etc. 'd' was always missing, and if not, it would always be interchanged with 's'. 'o' was everywhere, 't' missing to make it 'to', or 'n' to make it 'on'. 'From' became 'form', and there was even an instance when 'emotional' was written when I meant to type 'emotionless'. I guess I space out too much when I type. Ururu became Urur, Urahara became Urahar, Rukia became Rukai, and Ashido became Ashio. I feel so stupid. I badly need a beta. Anyways, I'm planning to do a major editing for this fic after this update.

Speaking of which, don't think the delay for this update was intentional. I have been busy with school and couldn't find time to write, much less to post a new chap. So yeah...Sorry, everyone! :D

Anyways, I'm working on my second IchiRuki oneshot (to those who have read Following, my second oneshot would be that long, too), and I might have that posted within this week or the next. Watch out for that one. :D

Sorry for the OOC-ness. :D

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"Meow." Yoruichi's golden orbs glistened dangerously with obvious mischief as she stared Urahara down. She came barging in the shōten right after arriving in the living world. She lifted her paw and released her sharp claws, pointing them dangerously close to the perverted businessman's most prized possession...

"No, no, Yoruichi-san! Please! Not my precious jewels!" The blonde captain wailed while protecting his crotch.

Yoruichi sighed in exasperation. He had been stalling for far too long for the cat-woman's liking, and she needed answers. Now. She transformed to her human soul form and wrestled Urahara until she was straddling his back, her hands holding both of his arms securely behind his back, her complete disregard of her nudity telling Urahara how serious she was.

"Kisuke...Tell me." Yoruichi said with finality in her voice. She wasn't going to accept any other answer than an agreement. The man below her couldn't help but sigh in defeat. Time to get serious...

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The rain was still falling albeit not as hard as when it started. Not that Ichigo and Rukia would have noticed, since they were both too engrossed in each other's company, their lips still in a kiss—their first kiss.

Ichigo was kneeling beside Rukia, and his umbrella had long been discarded as his hands were too busy touching the petite shinigami...holding her as close as was physically possible. Rukia's own hands were on Ichigo's bright orange locks, grabbing a fistful while at the same time pulling his head closer. No thoughts occupied both of their minds at that moment—not of Orihime, not of Ashido, not even of a certain bastard Espada...just nothing. When both of their lungs were on the brink of giving out, both shinigami pulled away, though the distance was only enough to let them breathe—breathe the same air. With their foreheads leaning against each other, amethyst locked with amber.

Rukia's eyes were suddenly filled with guilt—guilt for a certain auburn-haired woman who was possibly somewhere, all unsuspecting, all unknowing. "If...If Orihime finds out—"

"Inoue and I broke up." Ichigo replied in a low, husky voice, one of his hands caressing Rukia's soft cheek.

Rukia's eyes widened, and if possible more guilt consumed her amethyst pools. And as if reading her thoughts, Ichigo chuckled. "No, don't blame yourself, baka. It wasn't your fault. We were...we just weren't meant to be together since the very beginning. And... I guess all along she knew that..." He paused, staring intently at Rukia searching for clues that would reassure him that it was indeed the right time to confess. And the look in her eyes...was the same as in his.

Rukia felt his hesitation, and it troubled her. "Knew what, Ichigo?"

The carrot-top averted his gaze to the side for a moment before mustering up all his courage and sighing in resignation. Now was the time, he needed to tell her how he felt. And he would.

"...that I..." He let his amber orbs reunite with her curious amethysts. "That I love you, Rukia."

The raven-haired woman would have laughed at the sheer corniness of his confession, or she would've been awed at Ichigo's courage to actually confess his feelings to a woman, had it not been for the fact that she had dreamt for this particular moment for so long—for the man she loved more than her afterlife itself to tell her that he felt the same feeling bubbling up uncontrollably inside of her. So instead, she let unbidden tears fall down as she unceremoniously lunged herself at the orange-haired man and hugged him with all the force her tiny body could muster.

The shinigami representative hugged her back just as tight, letting her pour out her bottled up emotions through her tears. Neither noticed that the rain had finally stopped falling.

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Dondochakka and Pesche were roaming around Hueco Mundo with their trusted pet, BawaBawa. Both of them were thinking of Nel Tu's current condition. They knew it was for the best that she stayed with the substitute shinigami at the moment.

That freaky Espada with weird green eyes with black catlike slits as irises was on a rampage in Hueco Mundo, killing everyone he deemed worthless, and taking in everyone else. They heard from the others that he was trying to gather the most powerful beings in Hueco Mundo—whoever remained and survived after the Winter War worthy enough to be given a chance to fight—and probably create his own Espada. And Nel Tu was a perfect candidate. The two knew that when he got his hands on the little arrancar, that Ulquiorra would do everything in his power to force her true powers out—to force her real form out—and probably brainwash her into helping his schemes. Being the loyal caretakers that they were, Dondochakka and Pesche chose to temporarily give her to Ichigo for him to protect, while the two of them decided to stay and keep watch. In an uncharacteristically smart conversation they recently had, Dondochakka had blurted out, perhaps by mere impulse, that they would look weird mingling with the dwellers of the living world, and it would raise suspicion in Soul Society once the three of them were sensed staying in the living world, to which Pesche nodded his agreement. And thus, without so much as a warning, they took Nel, who was peacefully asleep during their entire conversation, and informed her upon waking up that she needed to temporarily stay with 'Itsugo'. Nel instantly agreed, excitement filling her tiny body at the prospect of seeing the substitute shinigami.

And now, they were traveling across the vast Hueco Mundo desert, far, far away from Las Noches where the Espada currently resided, hoping to survive the annihilation to welcome Nel Tu back when things were right again. In their nervousness and eagerness not to let Nel know of the real situation, the two didn't inform Ichigo of the current situation in Hueco Mundo, and also didn't tell him of the fact that a certain Espada was still alive, and now was wreaking havoc in the sandy terrains…

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"Shun'ō, Ayame, Sōten Kisshun…" Orihime muttered under her breath.

She was still perplexed, still unsure as to why remnants of Ulquiorra's reiatsu were all over Ashido. Her mind couldn't come up with a plausible explanation rather than Ashido fighting the said Espada. If so, that meant Kuchiki-san faced the Espada as well, because she remembered her saying that the petite Shinigami herself was with Ashido when they fought the 'powerful hollow'. And short of being blind or stupid, there was no way Kuchiki-san wouldn't recognize the Espada. And all these facts led to one inevitable truth: Kuchiki-san lied. But why the petite Shinigami did so was beyond Orihime. However, she was determined to find out.

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The petite Shinigami and her official substitute walked home together, hand in hand for the very first time. Both of their faces had barely contained happiness written all over for everyone to see. The scowl that had resided in Ichigo's face for the past few years seemed to have evacuated, perhaps in someone else's face—someone with long auburn hair who was, at the moment, healing an injured maroon-haired Shinigami.

The two reached the Kurosaki home and were welcomed back by a wailing Nel. Ichigo and Rukia entered the house and found the little Arrancar bawling and screaming while Yuzu was trying to calm her down. 'Bustafu' aka Kon sat in front of the ex-Espada, his stuffed arms crossed in front of his chest—or whatever that plushy body of his offered as a chest. He didn't seem to be moved by the little Arrancar's tears.

"It was your fault nee-san ran away." Kon said in an uncharacteristically serious and reprimanding tone.

Ichigo's mouth which halfway opened to scold Nel, Kon or even Yuzu for the noise the little Arrancar was making, froze in that manner—midway of his supposed tirade. Yeah, sure, Kon had told him what exactly had transpired that made Rukia 'run away', but the orange-head had not been expecting the mod-soul to actually confront and even berate the little Arrancar. And as someone who had a soft spot for women, be it grown-up or not, it was rather surprising to see Kon unaffected by the ex-Espada's outburst. It only shows how much Kon really adored Rukia.

Meanwhile, the said petite Shinigami was blushing. She had forgotten her earlier stupid stunt (read: running away because some innocent kid said Ichigo and Orihime look good together), and being reminded of it was…well embarrassing and for her, unwelcome. But she didn't really have any choice as her loyal perverted fan unintentionally reminded her of it. After all, she and Ichigo kind of bypassed that topic and just jumped into confessing their feelings for each other.

Yuzu's head snapped up when she realized that her brother and her Rukia-nee had arrived. She was still lightly patting the little Arrancar's back to stop her crying when she saw them walking towards the living room couch. "Oh, Onii-chan, Rukia-nee, I'm glad you're both back!"

"Nee-saaaaaaan!" Kon flew towards his favorite Shinigami's bosom but was suspended in mid-air by the tail—by Ichigo's hand, no less.

Ichigo glared at the plushy, feeling too tired to fix up the trouble Kon had started.

"Nee-san! Nee-san! Let me go, Ichigo! Let me comfort my poor nee-san!"

"Eh?" Rukia blinked at them.

Sniff.

All head turned towards the now quiet but still teary-eyed little arrancar.

"I-Itsugo?"

The said carrot-top Shinigami walked towards the little Arrancar until he was standing right beside her. "What is it, Nel?" He asked in the softest, most consoling voice he could.

"Does Itsugo hate Nel?" Sniff.

Ichigo's amber orbs softened as he stared down at the teary-eyed ex-Espada. "No, I'm not."

Nel stole a quick glance at Rukia, but immediately averted her gaze in embarrassment. "Nel is sorry…"

Rukia smiled at the small child. "It's okay, Nel. I'm sorry that I…I might have overreacted by running away." She finished with a blush on her cheeks.

A gasp was heard from behind; all looked at Yuzu's panicked face. "Onii-chan, Rukia-nee, you're soaked! Didn't you bring an umbrella with you?"

A beautiful blush crept on both Ichigo's and Rukia's faces at exact the same time.

Ichigo sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Uh… yeah. Anyway, Rukia and I would go to my room to get changed." He paused and blushed harder at the implication that they would be changing in a single room—together--perhaps even at the same time...and maybe get a good view of each other...Ichigo shook his head to clear his mind off those perverted thoughts. "Let's go, Rukia."

The raven-haired woman nodded and climbed up the stairs to the carrot-top's room.

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Orihime wiped the beads of sweat that were beginning to crowd at her brow. She had been healing Ashido for a while now, and though she felt a considerable amount of Ulquiorra's reiatsu dissipate, there were still a few traces of it on the maroon-haired Shinigami's body. Despite the exhaustion, Orihime continued healing the injured death god, desperate to find answers to her questions. A small twitch caught the auburn-haired woman's attention. She focused her remaining reiatsu on the task at hand until a pair of gray orbs slowly opened.

"Thank goodness, Ashido-kun!"

The maroon-haired man blinked a few times as he tried to focus his vision to the voice that called out to him. He felt a bit dizzy, and there was a throbbing pain in his head as he tried to register his surroundings, or rather the ceiling since it was the only part of the room he could see at the moment. He slowly tilted his head to see the buxom auburn-haired woman that he remembered was Rukia's friend. Rukia...That's right, where was she?! He immediately sat up, which was obviously a bad move since a new wave of dizziness came over him and he fell back on the futon, clutching his head in pain.

"Are you alright, Ashido-kun?"

"Rukia...Where's Rukia? Is she okay?" He sounded frantic and worried.

"Y-yes, she is. She's with...Kurosaki-kun right now."

Relief washed over Ashido's entire being as he heard what the buxom woman said.

"Ashido-kun...could you...could you tell me what happened?" There was a tone of defiance in her usually soft voice, and Ashido knew at that moment that Rukia didn't tell them anything about what happened. He focused his eyes on Orihime's own gray orbs as he relayed the story

"That Espada...Ulquiorra...He was...He was holding Rukia's arms to refrain her from fighting back...And I think he was planning to hurt her. That was when...I arrived. We fought...but I...I lost. I don't remember anything else after that."

There was a light frown etched on Orihime's face due to all the questions swarming her brain. First, it was so unlike Kuchiki-san to let 'being held by the arms' stop her from fighting back, so did this mean she wasn't trying? Second, if Ulquiorra indeed wanted to hurt Kuchiki-san, how come the petite woman wasn't seriously scathed? Third, she knew Kuchiki-san was strong, but she also knew that Ulquiorra was way stronger, so how did Kuchiki-san defend herself? Was she able to defeat Ulquiorra? Orihime had a feeling that the maroon-haired man had no idea as well. She stood up, her mind made up—she should find out from Kuchiki-san herself.

"Where are you going?" Ashido asked, stopping the auburn-haired woman in her tracks.

"I'm going to ask Kuchiki-san some questions."

"I'll come with you." Orihime nodded as the maroon-haired Shinigami made the move to stand.

Just then, the shoji doors opened, revealing a grim-looking Urahara and a lightly frowning Yoruichi.

"Yare, yare. I'm afraid it's too late for a teenage girl like you to be wandering the streets, Inoue-san." His voice held no trace of humor.

Orihime looked at the Shinigami captain in confusion. Were they listening to the conversation? If so, why were they stopping her from getting the answers she wanted?

"Urahara-taichō, Rukia's life is in danger."

"You need not to interfere, Ashido-san." The blonde businessman closed his eyes for a moment as he placed his hand inside his coat.

Yoruichi eyed him skeptically. "Are you sure this is the right thing to do, Kisuke?"

The said man merely gave her a sideways glance and took out a small gadget from his coat. The gadget suspiciously resembled a—

"A memory modifier!" Orihime gasped.

A cloud of smoke engulfed the occupants of the room the moment the blonde Shinigami captain pressed the button on the gadget. When the smoke cleared, there laid a buxom woman and a maroon-haired man on the floor, unconscious, as if in deep sleep.

"That one is stronger, right? You sure know that your old ones don't affect powerful beings, right?" Yoruichi inquired.

"Ah, you doubt my abilities too much, Yoruichi-san." He readjusted the bucket hat resting on his head, the grim expression never leaving his face. "This isn't just a memory modifier. This is also...a memory eraser."

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"Huh?" Ichigo blinked, still holding the phone to his ear.

Rukia gave him a curious glance, quietly asking what it was.

"O-okay...Whatever." he hung up on whoever it was that called and walked towards Rukia, leading her up to his room.

"Who was it, Ichigo?" The petite woman asked as they entered the carrot-top's room.

Ichigo scoffed. "Just geta-bōshi."

A wave of sudden nervousness and dread washed over the raven-haired Shinigami. "W-what did he say?"

"Inoue would stay there for the night in order to completely heal your friend. We'll probably see her at school."

Rukia sat at the foot of Ichigo's bed, thinking whether it was a good or bad idea to let Inoue stay at the shōten and heal the injured Shinigami. A completely healed Ashido meant the revelation of her secret, while an injured and untended Ashido meant a fallen nakama. And she couldn't choose which one she preferred more. An arm wrapping around her petite form brought her back to reality.

"He's gonna be okay." Ichigo reassured, albeit begrudgingly.

"Aa. I hope so." Rukia decided to face it when it came.

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Ichigo and Rukia went to school early the next morning. Rukia had been fidgety ever since she woke up. Ichigo had been slightly suspecting that she was keeping something from him, but finally shrugged it off as concern for her friend's current condition. However, Rukia's mind was frantically working on making excuses about her lying, about not telling them that she and Ashido fought Ulquiorra—a fact that Ashido would surely waste no time in telling everyone the moment he regains consciousness. The petite woman kept glancing at the door of the classroom nervously from her seat. It was opened a moment later, and in came a heavily panting auburn-haired woman.

"O-Orihime!" Rukia instinctively called.

"Ohayō, Kuchiki-san!" The buxom woman greeted.

Rukia studied her friend carefully; looking for signs that she knew something was up. There was none.

"You okay, Inoue?" Ichigo raised a questioning brow at the said woman.

Orihime gave both Ichigo and Rukia a sheepish smile. "Aa. I just had to hurry all the way from Kurosaki-kun's house towards school, since I needed to get changed and all. Oh, you do know I stayed over Urahara-san's last night, didn't you?"

"Uh, yeah. He called us."

"Orihime." Rukia's stern voice captured both Ichigo and Orihime's interest. Rukia inwardly sighed as she prepared herself to ask the inevitable question. "How's Ashido?"

"Oh! Ashido-kun's all better now! I completely healed him, though he was still asleep when I left the shōten this morning. But I'm sure he's okay now." Orihime chirped.

There was still no sign that Orihime knew anything. So did Ashido keep his mouth shut, after all? Or was it that he hadn't woken up yet? If that was the case, Rukia would surely drop by the shōten after class to make sure he doesn't speak a word to anyone. She could only hope he wouldn't wake up while she was still in school.

"Aa. Thank you, Orihime."

"Ne, Kuchiki-san, where's Ashido-kun?" Mahana asked.

Ichigo growled at the other girl, and his normal scowl went deeper. He didn't want his personal relationship with Rukia to be known by the public yet, but he wouldn't tolerate them thinking that his girlfriend was with someone else.

Mahana backed away a little. Kurosaki's scowl really scared her.

"He's...at home. Sick."

The group of girls blinked at Rukia, and then at Ichigo. The carrot-top was still scowling at Mahana, and they gasped at the sudden realization.

"K-Kuchiki-san...D-did y-you...and A-Ashido-kun..." Michiru trailed off, not wanting to continue when Ichigo directed his scowl towards her.

"Did you and Ashido-kun break up?" Mahana tactlessly finished.

Rukia blinked innocently at them before everything sank in. "Oh. But we were never really together."

"YOU WEREN'T?!" Even Keigo joined in the conversation. The girls gaped at the raven-haired woman.

"No, they weren't. Now scram." Ichigo butted in.

"Ne, Kurosaki, why are you answering for Kuchiki-san?" Chizuru asked.

Orihime stayed silent throughout the whole conversation. It was strange, but she actually felt happy even if their break-up happened just a day ago. She couldn't help but smile at the way Kuchiki-san and Kurosaki-kun were both blushing at getting caught. Luckily, Ochi-sensei chose that particular moment to enter the room, so the new couple was saved from giving their curious and nosy friends some sort of explanation.

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Ichigo and Rukia managed to escape their friends throughout the entire day. Both disappeared during lunch, not even two seconds after the bell rang. In truth, the two were in their usual spot during lunch in the rooftop with Ishida and Chad. Although that day, they chose to lock Mizuiro and Keigo out.

The two decided to drop by the Urahara shōten after school, even though both were opposed to the idea, albeit for entirely different reasons. One didn't want to some, mainly because...well, he and the Shinigami they were going to pay a visit weren't really 'friends', while the other didn't like the idea of him coming with her. However, earlier that day, Ichigo had volunteered to come with her, correctly suspecting that his girlfriend would definitely drop by and check on the maroon-haired man's condition after class. Rukia was left with no choice but to nervously gulp and nod her head in acquiescence. And now, they were making their way out of their school.

However, they both halted on their steps as both felt an incredibly strong reiatsu dangerously close to their school at the same time that Rukia's Soul Pager and Ichigo's substitute Shinigami badge—which he hadn't been bringing with him ever since his relationship with Rukia was 'on the rocks'— beeped.

The reiatsu...It was one that the both of them knew perfectly well. And it sent shivers down their spines.

Unbeknownst to them, they weren't the only ones who felt the reiatsu.

"Tatsuki-chan, you go ahead. I need to find Kuchiki-san and Kurosaki-kun."

Tatsuki nodded. She knew it had something to do with those hollow things.

Standing beside a tree just a few blocks away from Karakura High, a man with black hair and a broken hollow mask resting on his head let his green eyes survey his surroundings as he waited patiently for his preys...

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Please review! :D Take care everyone!


	14. Chapter 13

I am soooo sorry for my absence! Yes, I know this update is waaaaay overdue. I was supposed to post this about a week and a half ago, but I found that the original version was waaaay too long and too boring, so I revised it.

Seccaberry, please tell the evil cupcake men to stop running after me! XD

Special thanks to:

**Iana Sabelle** for some help on the plot, though I deleted that Isshin scene and the confrontation because of some…err, complications. XD

**Waiting** (Whom I suppose is BunnySlippers) for reminding me that I have not updated for over a month. You have been reminding me when I don't update soon enough dor the last few chaps, and I thank you for that!

Yes, everyone, PLEASE, when I take too long in updating, send me a beating…I mean a message. It works, I tell you. :D

Anyways, there's OOC-ness in this chap, but only because I want Rukia to act like a normal girlfriend, or to at least want to act like a normal girl. Enough said, I'm spoiling it. :D

PS I have a feeling that Schemes have only a few more chapters left. And I'm sad. :(

Sorry for the errors! No editing has been done in this chap. (And I haven't done any editing in my previous chap like I have originally planned. Lazy, lazy me.)

Oh, have you guys read my new oneshot (which was posted more than a monthe ago? XD). If you haven't, please check it out. it's called **Rukia for a day**. :D

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'He's dead...He's dead...He's dead. He's supposed to be dead! So how come he is here, now? And more importantly, why?' Those were the thoughts constantly swimming in Orihime's head. The last news she heard regarding this particular Espada was that he lost against Kurosaki-kun, though now that she thought about it, his death was not really confirmed by anyone. So could it be that he managed to survive after fighting Kurosaki-kun? What does he want now?

She reached the site before anyone else could, and true enough, there was Ulquiorra, standing beside a used, his usual emotionless and stoic face in place. She knew for sure that the Espada knew she was there but the arrancar made on show of it. Orihime gulped nervously as she stared at Ulquiorra whose green eyes were watching some point in the distance.

"U-Ul-Ulquiorra..." Orihime's voice was barely audible, but it was no question that the first thing she would speak was his name.

Ulquiorra's eyes barely shifted towards her, and other than that, he made on other move to acknowledge her.

"W-what are you doing here?" She bravely inquired. She couldn't afford to be a coward now. She couldn't have history repeating itself all over again. She couldn't have herself be abducted for the second time, and she couldn't allow her friends to jeopardize their lives in order to rate her sorry ass again. No. This time, she would fight. She would fight not only for herself, but for her friends and all the other human beings in her world.

Ulquiorra fully shifted his gaze towards the buxom woman. Gray orbs widened at the looks she was receiving--if she didn't know any better, Orihime could have confidently said that Ulquiorra was smirking, but knowing that this man doesn't know how to openly show his emotions, she highly doubted it. The whole time that she spent with him in Hueco Mundo actually said off—Orihime could somehow read Ulquiorra's body language. Confusion filled Orihime's mind as she concentrated on the emotion that was clear in Ulquiorra's green eyes--amusement. That alone gave her chills down her spine. Amusement for Ulquiorra isn't exactly a walk in the park.

A step...and another. Ulquiorra continued to come nearer the buxom woman who used to be Aizen-sama's pet. Within seconds, the tri-link shield appeared in front of her, and a look of determination was etched on her face. What a pity though, for he didn't come for her. Well, not exactly. He continued closing the gap between them, and Orihime readied herself in a defensive stance. He was almost close enough to touch her shield when all of a sudden, he jumped back and landed on his previous spot.

A blue arrow sped between the two of them moments later.

"Inoue-san!" Ishida and Chad ran towards the buxom woman and stood by her side, the former subtly examining her body for any injuries. "What are you doing here?" The quincy asked the arrancar.

Moments later, the leaking reiatsu that they were all too familiar with entered their sensing range, along with his ever-present companion, running towards their destination.

Ichigo and Rukia arrived within seconds. Rukia's amethyst orbs were wide with uncertainty and fear for her friends. They were stuck on the emotionless man whom she knew was toying with them...with her.

Their enemy took advantage of the momentary distraction and disappeared in a flash using sonido. Soon, blood sprayed through the air, taking everyone by surprise. They all looked at each other to see who was hit, until...

Inoue slowly fell down, her gray orbs closing at the same time she hit the ground.

"Inoue-san!" Ishida's arms immediately gathered the fallen woman's body and carefully examined her injuries.

"Bastard!" Ichigo hissed as he slammed his substitute Shinigami badge against his body. He took hold of Zangetsu tightly and swung forward to attack the arrancar. Their swords met with a loud clang.

"Inoue-san!" Ishida's voice was clearly heard over and over again in the background. The Quincy saw the deep slashes on Inoue's back, and desperately thought of a way to stop the bleeding. Inoue was the group's healer, and without her around, who could they run to for help? That's it!

"Kuchiki-san!" Ishida's desperate voice broke Rukia out of her stupor, though the Quincy didn't miss the look of uncertainty, hatred and fear in her amethyst orbs. "Please heal Inoue-san!"

Rukia wasted no time. She knelt down beside the woman in Ishida's arms while Chad stood in front to protect them from the still ongoing sword battle. Her hands glowed green and she started healing Inoue's injuries. However, unlike Inoue's Sōten Kisshun, healing kidō doesn't reject injuries. Inoue had lost a huge amount of blood, and her kidō couldn't do anything to bring it back. Even after the buxom woman's wounds were healed, she remained unconscious.

"Chad, Ishida, bring Inoue to safety, and protect her with your lives." Ichigo yelled as he prepared for another attack. The two men both took a quick glance at the unmentioned Shinigami and then obliged. Even though Chad would have on problem carrying the buxom woman, Ishida quietly insisted that he carry the unconscious girl.

In that brief amount of time, a certain petite Shinigami wished with all of her heart that those words were for her...to protect her. She knew it was hypocritical of her to think that way, since she knew now how Ichigo truly felt about her, but it was only in that short span of time that Rukia suddenly realized just how much she wanted to be just a normal person... Without the Shinigami duties to attend to, without Ulquiorra to face, without her secrets to hide...without anything but Ichigo.

But no. Kuchiki Rukia's mind was filled with many different things. Her Shinigami duties, her clan duties, her squad duties, her friends, the people in Soul Society and in the Living World...all those on top of Ichigo and her secrets. And because she wasn't a normal human being like she would have wanted to be, she had to face all those things sooner or later.

When the three were out of view, Ichigo's reiatsu began to shoot up. "Bankai!"

Ulquiorra's face remained emotionless, almost to the brink of boredom. His green eyes weren't watching the magnificence that hid behind the thick dust clouds that formed due to the substitute Shinigami's sheer spiritual pressure, rather, his green eyes strayed to the woman behind him. The woman who was glaring at him in full force—a glare that told him she knew exactly what he was up to.

The arrancar almost smirked. His mission was done. He didn't need to engage in some nonsensical battle against the substitute Shinigami. He didn't come for that. Besides, it will only strain the Hōgyoku, and he didn't really need that to happen right now.

"Tensa Zangetsu."

Ulquiorra swung his sword sidewards before putting it back in its sheath.

Ichigo's eyes regarded him carefully, almost sure that he was trying to fool him—that he was feigning defeat.

The arrancar took a few steps backward, raising his hand and ripping open a space in the dimension. He entered the garganta while eyeing the two Shinigami, his green eyes glinting with a promise of return.

Ichigo growled at him. "You coward!"

"Ichigo!" The said carrot-top turned his head to look at the petite woman who called out to him.

"Why are you still here? Why didn't you run away with Chad and Ishida? It was dangerous here!" He reprimanded.

"I can take care of myself just fine." Rukia frowned at him. "And you didn't tell me to." She looked away.

Ichigo stared at her in confusion for a few seconds. "Wasn't it supposed to be implied?"

"No. You only mentioned Chad and Ishida protecting Inoue with their lives."

Ichigo gaped bit. "That's because I don't want you risking yours for anyone!"

Rukia's stomach fluttered with those words. Although, she knew that even if he did mention her, she would stubbornly stay behind and watch him fight Ulquiorra.

"Whatever you baka, let's go check on Orihime."

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"Ishida! Chad!" Said men looked up at the sound of the voice. Ichigo and Rukia made their way towards the group huddled in the middle of a room in the Urahara shōten. By the looks on their faces, it was clear that the battle wasn't finished yet.

Orihime lay on a futon in the center, still unconscious, while Tessai knelt beside her, his kidō working its wonders on the woman.

"How is she?" Rukia asked, worried for her friend.

"It seems like her pressure point had also been hit, very much like Ashido-san." Urahara's voice came from the open shoji door.

Rukia's amethyst orbs widened. No, no. Now's _not_ the right time for that discussion. Please, NO!

Ishida, Chad and Ichigo all perked up at that piece of information, the cogs on their minds working double time to deduce some sort of plausible explanation.

"But we faced—"

"Urahara-taichō?" Another voice called out.

"Ah, Ashido-san!" Urahara jovially greeted. Maroon hair peeked from the door.

Ichigo subconsciously leaned closer towards Rukia who stood by his side.

"What happened, Urahara-taichō?"

"Ah, Inoue-san had been injured, just like you, Ashido-san." A black cat's golden eyes visibly twinkled from one of the corners of the room.

"Really?" Ashido immediately entered the room to gain more information. "Did you encounter another strong hollow, Rukia?"

Urahara looked at Yoruichi from the corner of his eye.

Rukia blinked at Ashido. Then blinked again. And again. What was happening? Was Ashido just playing along with her pretensions? She locked her amethyst with his gray orbs. There was confusion and concern there. There were even some traces of...longing. But no trickery. No lies. Now what the hell happened? She averted her gaze towards the only possible cause of this all. None other than the genius, the owner of the shop—Urahara Kisuke himself.

His bucket hat was shadowing his eyes, making him look mysterious and a little creepy. His eyes, however, clearly didn't deny the accusation from her own amethyst orbs.

Ichigo answered him before anyone else could, partly because he didn't like this guy focusing on Rukia too much. "No. It was Ulquiorra."

Ashido looked at him for a while, and then back at Rukia who was standing a little too close to the

orange-haired Shinigami representative. Yep, something happened. Was he really out that long?

When no one spoke for a moment, Ichigo decided to focus on the oddly cheerful Urahara whom he suspected was talking cryptically again, like he knew more than he let on--as always.

"Do you already know about this?" It was a question, though Urahara and Yoruichi clearly heard the underlying accusation in it.

"Of course not, Kurosaki-san! If I did, I would have been there so that poor Inoue-san wouldn't get hurt."

The truth was, he was anticipating something like this, but he failed to predict that the arrancar would go as far as to actually hurt one of Kuchiki-san's friends. It would, after all, heighten Rukia's fury, and perhaps even make her retaliate. Now it seems like Ulquiorra had something else planned. Something that suspiciously runs along the lines of diversion and distraction.

Ichigo's eyes lingered longer on the Shinigami captain, while Ishida's eyes were staring intently at the petite Shinigami. "Isn't he supposed to be dead? He couldn't have possibly survived right? I say the state he was in after Kurosaki and he fought. How was he able to survive, Urahara-san?" Ishida's question was directed at the blonde Shinigami, but his eyes never left Rukia.

"Ah, yes Ishida-san. But there are still some possibilities, yes, Kuchiki-san?"

Rukia's eyes widened slightly as she tried in vain to hide the look of disbelief in her amethyst pools. Luckily, she quickly regained her composure and nodded at the blonde captain. "Y-yes. We all know that Ichigo didn't...finish him during their battle. And given the amount of time away from the enemies, her must have...regenerated. He is still a hollow, after all."

Everyone, with the exception of Rukia, Urahara, and Yoruichi, looked fairly satisfied with her answer as they all started contemplating of the many different possibilities.

"If that's the case, them all I have to do is beat him again." Ichigo growled.

"NO!" Rukia yelled. "You idiot! He could have...he must have improved! He must be a lot stronger now for him to attempt an attack like that all on his own!" She explained logically after being stared at.

"She's right, Ichigo. We shouldn't be so sure of ourselves. He must have something up his sleeve." Trust Chad to be talkative when needed.

"Yes, and we wouldn't want any more of our friends get hurt, do we..?" Rukia's voice started with confidence but ended in a whisper as she wistfully looked at the still unconscious Orihime.

Ichigo's head hung low as he tried to think of a way to end all of this as soon as possible. "So should we train again? Just so we could be ready when an attack comes."

"I think you should rest first. Go home now, everyone. We will take good care of Inoue-san." Urahara suggested.

Ichigo and Chad were the first to walk out just as Ashido trudged back to his temporary room. As Rukia was about to follow Ichigo, Ishida stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"If you know something Kuchiki-san, please do tell. I don't know your reasons for hiding them, but if someone continues to get hurt each time, I will force it out of you." His voice was so quiet that no one else in the room but Rukia heard him. Although, Urahara and Yoruichi didn't really need to hear him to know what he said.

Truly, the world is slowly crumbling down on Rukia. The wick on the time tomb will soon be completely consumed by the fire.

Ishida walked out of the room, leaving Rukia still frozen in shock. When she finally broke out of her reverie, she looked at Urahara's knowing eyes and gave a nervous nod.

"Please take care, Kuchiki-san."

Rukia didn't know how Urahara learned of her well-kept secret; it must be because the perceptive guy was a real genius, that the world perceptive doesn't even do him justice. No matter, she knew that her secret was safe with him. When she came out of the shōten, Ichigo was waiting for her with a contemplative look in his eyes as he absentmindedly watched Ishida and Chad walk away.  
_  
"Keep a good eye on her, Kurosaki."_ Ishida had muttered before he left.

No matter how impulsive and idiotic Ichigo seemed to be at times, he isn't completely stupid. During the whole conversation, Ishida was staring at Rukia as if he was trying to decipher some sort of secret message on her face. Ichigo didn't miss that. But just what could it be that involved Rukia?

"Ichigo!"

Amber eyes blinked a couple of times before looking at concerned amethysts. Rukia? Nah. Must be a slip in judgement on Ishida's part. Still, the thought continued to bug him.

They silently walked home, both too absorbed in their own thoughts to bother speaking, much less to ask what the other was thinking about.

They arrived home just in time for dinner, and were welcomed by a rather exuberant Nel who cheerfully told them how she learned cooking instant noodles that day. Despite Nel's happy ramblings and Isshin's usual attacks at his son, Ichigo's attention wasn't diverted from his train of thoughts.

Rukia had a cheerful façade on as she lied about Orihime being in Tatsuki's place for a school project.

Neither wanted to give his family a scare about the imminent danger.

Ichigo looked at the girl—his girl—as she went about in her skillful ways of acting...and lying. His family surely couldn't tell she was lying. Maybe Karin could, by the way she rolled her eyes. She chose to be quiet about it though. So was it possible that she would deceive him as well? He mentally cursed and scolded himself and reminded himself that it was Rukia he was thinking about. That girl's acts were never effective on him. He could see right through her. Or at least he hoped so.

The two soon found themselves sitting quietly on his bed after dinner. Yuzu had been considerate enough to keep Nel some company upon seeing thoughtful and exhausted looks on her elder _siblings_' faces. They finished their schoolwork in silence; the only sound they heard was Yuzu getting Bustafu whom she still found cute despite being inhabited by Kon who knows Ichigo well enough to behave himself properly while in Yuzu's care.

When it was time to sleep, it was Ichigo who climbed on to the bed first. Rukia laid down beside him after a few moments, her back to his front. His arms immediately went around her, and he buried his nose on to her hair, inhaling her sweet and intoxicating scent.

"Rukia…"

"Mm?"

_Hesitation._

Ichigo stayed silent for a few seconds before finally voicing out his thoughts.

"You..you wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

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I hope that was good enough to compensate for my long absence. **Please review and motivate me, I badly need it!** Reviews mean update, so please drop a line or so. Take care everyone! :D


	15. Chapter 14

Brace yourselves for the longest pre-chapter notes. Ahem. I made the gravest error when I forgot to acknowledge those who reviewed for Chapter 12. So lots of thanks to:

**Iana Sabelle, ichiruki77, sadistico, rukiaichigo15chappy, Assault Godzilla, Hachimitsu-sama, None (the anonymous reviewer), Hana-tenshi, Lynn, Kano Yamakai, CrystalICE1, Cheryblossom snow, rukia death kuchiki, wicked.dira( originallytseh.tseh.kesambed, I think), Sherinne, Himiko Arees, 0: , XxChappiLovexX, RaiChia, da archer, seccaberry, Lazy Mew, DramaQueen of the moon, XBlueSkyX, Just me and myself, ObliviousWarrior89, RadioButtons. , and Waiting. **

And then, I'd like to thank those who reviewed chapter 13:

**Hachimitsu-sama, rukia death kuchiki, Chelle-chan7, wallflowerxiii, Lynn, Kano Yamakai, mangaqueen14, Iana Sabelle, Himiko Areess, Crimson Quincy, Lazy Mew, Draven NightHawk, None (the anonymous reviewer), -ICHIRUKIFTW-, Cherryblossom snow, sam, mau-chan, RaiChia, Gady, and BunnySlippers.**

Special thanks to **Gady **for reviewing Chapter 3.

Okay. Soooo.the reviews dropped. I had no motivation for a reaaaally long time. Thus, the overdue update. But anyway, I managed to rush this one, so I'm sorry if it's crappy.

I'd like to dedicate this to BunnySlippers who celebrated her birthday last October 15, I think. Otanjoubi omedetou!

i have a oneshot set to be posted on the 24th. I hope you would get to read it. :D

Sorry for the OOC-ness and the errors!

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"You...you wouldn't lie to me, would you?" The shock that registered on Rukia's mind upon hearing the unexpected question allowed her to stiffen for only a few unnoticed milliseconds before she suddenly rose from her position on the bed on impulse. And she hit him on the jaw--hard--so his face turned sideward, and his amber eyes would miss the shock and fear clearly displayed in her amethyst pools that would surely take a few moments for her to completely mask.

"Bakamono!" She yelled. "What kind of question is that?!"

Ichigo rubbed the offended part of his face...and smiled. He wasn't really sure himself what kind of response he would get from Rukia, but this was good enough for him. His mind roughly translated her response as "You have to ask?", and for now, he would have to accept her answer. He somehow knew that letting his girl know that he had small doubts about her would not be appreciated, so he banished all those thoughts and all his doubts away.

And in the process, he unknowingly dismissed the gut feelings that told him she never really directly answered his query.

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Due to Ichigo's insistence ("We'll be able to look after her better he she's near!"), Orihime had been brought back to the Kurosaki home. She had woken up for a few minutes, but her exhaustion caught up to her and she was out like a light again.

"Oh, we don't have the ingredients we need for lunch! Karin-chan, Nel-chan, would you like to go to the store with me?" Yuzu sweetly asked.

"Store?" Nel asked, perplexed.

Karin dropped the sports magazine she was reading to indulge her twin sister. "Yeah sure. I'll go find Pops for permission."

"But Otou-san is busy in the clinic. I'll in ask Onii-chan!" Yuzu excitedly climbed up the stairs and ran towards her older brother's room. She lightly knocked on the door and opened it.

Ichigo was by his desk, schoolwork laid out in front of him, while Rukia was on his bed, her nose buried in a manga.

"Onii-chan?"

"What is it, Yuzu?"

"Me, Karin-chan and Nel-chan are planning to go grocery-shopping for lunch. I just thought you should know."

Ichigo immediately looked up with worry in his eyes at his little sister. Rukia looked at his face, clearly seeing that he wanted to come with them to be sure they were protected, but couldn't just leave Orihime--whom he thought was the main target, and leaving her defenseless would only mean a greater risk--behind. Rukia contemplated for a while just what to do. She wanted to offer to come with the twins, just so Ichigo could be assured that his sisters and Nel were safe. However, she knew that being with them would only mean a greater risk. She was the target, after all. But no one else knew that, so she made up her mind.

"I'll come with you." Rukia said. Ichigo shot her a grateful look. He was relieved and awed at the same time at how good Rukia was at deciphering his looks...in reading his thoughts. And he prided himself for the fact that it was because of a deep mutual understanding they have of each other that made it easy for them to know the other's thoughts. Or so he thought.

"Really, Rukia-nee? Oh, I'm so happy! Let's go, then! Karin-chan and Nel-chan are waiting for us!" Yuzu happily ran out of the room.

Ichigo stood up from his seat by his desk just as Rukia stood up from the bed. He encased the petite woman in a tight hug before she could even take a step away from the bed. Through the small gesture of affection, he tried to convey his gratitude to his girl for being understanding. "Thank you..." He pressed his forehead against hers as one hand found its way to caress her soft cheeks.

"Baka. You don't have to thank me for anything."

"Wrong. I have to thank you for everything." He claimed her lips with his in a tender kiss. "Take care, okay?"

As much as possible, Ichigo wanted his family, including Rukia, Nel, and Orihime, to stay indoors within his range of vision until all the threats were gone. However, he knew well enough that life must go on, even in the middle of a war. "Aa." Rukia replied as she freed herself from his arms. She gave him a small smile before disappearing downstairs.

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Rukia kept a good distance between her and the kids. She brought along with her the manga she was reading earlier, just so she would look busy or preoccupied enough to fall behind.

They neared the convenience store when Karin suddenly fell in step with her.

"Rukia-chan." Her voice held no playful edge or mockery, just utter seriousness.

Rukia tried her best to look baffled at being disturbed from her reading."Yes, Karin-chan?"

"Why do you look so nervous?" Her calculating eyes--which Rukia sometimes feared were as sharp as Ichigo's, maybe even sharper--were focused entirely on her.

"Nervous?" Rukia tried to play dumb. She knew it wouldn't work with Karin, but she at least hoped the younger Kurosaki would take it as a hint that she wanted the matter dropped. "Oh, well, because this part of the manga I'm reading is really exciting. The protagonist is gonna face some trouble, and I fear for her well-being."

Upon closer inspection, one would see that the manga she held was opened to a page where the lead woman and the lead man were sharing a passionate kiss.

Karin didn't say anything, but continued to study Rukia for a few more seconds before running up to Yuzu and Nel who were busy picking up which items to buy.

Truth be told, Rukia had been unnerved by Karin, but she carefully kept that from leaking to her well-placed façade.

That was until his reiatsu--Ulquiorra's reiatsu--spiked up. He was near. Too near.

She shot an alarmed glance at the twins and Nel who were by the package counter, paying for their purchases. She ran towards them and gave them the only--and lamest ever--excuse she could think of at the moment. "Hey, I found a Chappy store nearby. You girls go home first, okay? I might take a while."

Karin didn't believe the lie for a second, and didn't dare deny the uneasiness that was slowly creeping up her gut at that reiatsu that she had felt a little earlier. And she was sure that Rukia-chan would face whatever it was, and she would face it alone.

What Karin didn't know was that the little arrancar beside her twin felt the same, and as beads of sweat rolled down her face, she allowed a look of pure horror and unadulterated fear cross her face.

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Rukia had barely set her two feet flat on the ground when a cero was suddenly fired her way. It missed her by mere inches, and she feared that it was an intentional miss.

"W-what are you doing?"

Ulquiorra's face remained calm and emotionless yet his striking green eyes were obviously livid, and Rukia knew without a doubt that the anger was directed at her. He raised a hand, and a cero was slowly forming again. Rukia mentally thanked him for at least having the decency to show up at a place where there were no innocent people nearby that were at risk.

"What the hell is your problem?" Why was he attacking her? Did he seriously want her to die? But why? He told her he needed her alive, right? Then it clicked. "Is...is the Hôgyoku finally complete?"

For an unknown reason, the cero in his hand was fired at her just after she finished her last statement. Rukia jumped away from her previous spot just in time before it was completely reduced to ashes. Just how many abandoned buildings were there in Karakura-cho?

She didn't have time to ponder on it though, as several bala shots were thrown her way, and all she could do was leap, jump and dodge.

Karin's gut told her to just run away and ask for help, but her feet carried her towards the strong reiatsu. Yuzu was perplexed as she silently followed after her frantic twin, all unknowing of the danger they were placing themselves into. Nel was running at the same pace as Karin's, and was headed in the same direction even without glancing at the dark-haired girl.

They arrived at an abandoned building when an explosion took place on one of its sides. With eyes full of worry, Karin ran towards a post and hid. Yuzu came up behind her, and gasped softly at the sight. They had a clear view of the people inside.

There stood Rukia-chan, her hand glowing with something she had on idea about, and chanted "Hadô no sanjuuichi, Shakkahô!" Her enemy dodged it with ease, and Karin knew that Rukia-chan was losing.

Without so much as a thought, Karin grabbed the arm of the now crying Yuzu, and ran as fast as she could, faster than she ever had for any of her soccer championship games. Her mind was blank, and the only thing she could think of was how to get to her Ichi-nii. Neither of the twins noticed Nel stay behind.

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Ichigo sighed as he desperately thought of what measures to take to end all of this. Should he go to Hueco Mundo and annihilate every single thing there? Should he just wait for them to come and attack before he acts? Where was Soul Society's Shinigami when you need them the most?

He stood by the window in the twins' room where Orihime still lay asleep. From the distance, he saw her little sisters frantically running towards their house. And they were alone.

No Nel, no Rukia.

His eyes widened as his heart pounded loudly in is chest. He knew something was terribly wrong. He ran out of the room to meet the two girls downstairs. Karin slammed the front door open, dragging a crying and sobbing Yuzu, and when her eyes landed on her brother, she ran to him.

"Rukia-nee...Rukia-nee!" It was all Karin could say. This was the first time that the dark-haired girl called Rukia with the honorific "nee", and that was enough to make the panic in Ichigo's heart grow a hundredfold.

He reached for Kon (he had never been as thankful for the modsoul's presence as he was at the moment), and swallowed the gikongan, instructing it to protect his family.

Nothing else was on his mind now but Rukia.

And so he ran.

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Rukia was breathing heavily now, undeniably exhausted, as she he used a good amount of her remaining reiatsu blasting kidô after kidô at her enemy, trying to defend herself as best as she could.

"Kuchiki Rukia." He spat out her name venomously. "What do you think would that Shinigami do when he learns that you have been defiled?"

Rukia flinched. She tried to stand straight, but couldn't carry the weight of her petite body, and sagged against the wall.

Ulquiorra slowly unsheathed his sword. "What would he do when he learns that you have been keeping the truth from him?"

He took a few steps closer towards the petite Shinigami. "What would he do when he learns that you have been a traitor all this time?"

A loud shriek caught their attention. From behind a post, Nel appeared.

Rukia's eyes widened at the sight of the small arrancar. "What are you doing here?!" She cried desperately.

"I-Itsugo...Itsugo will beat you!" She yelled at the Espada.

With an expression akin to boredom, Ulquiorra shifted his gaze towards the ex-Espada, and walked towards the small arrancar child.

Rukia took this opportunity to fire another kidô blast at him, but he easily deflected it with his sword without even looking. The raven-haired Shinigami desperately ran to the defenseless little arrancar and shielded the small body with hers as Ulquiorra slowly raised his sword.

Rukia shut her eyes tight, as tight as the hold she had on Nel, waiting for her impending second death. But the metal set to cruelly cut through her flesh never came.

There was a clash of metal against metal, and the loud clang that reverberated throughout the whole area was a welcome comfort to Rukia, who choked back a sob at feeling the familiar warm reiatsu of Ichigo.

Except this time, it felt too intense...almost suffocating.

"Don't you dare." Ichigo's voice was low, almost menacing. And for a second, Rukia feared what would happen next.

With one look at the enraged Shinigami, Ulquiorra knew that his purpose was done. For now. He leaped farther away from the orange-haired madman, and silently regarded the petite woman who was still quietly holding the pathetic little arrancar. He ripped open a garganta and entered without another word.

Ichigo remained motionless and quiet, and through feeling the fluctuations of his reiatsu, Rukia knew...he knew.

Rukia slowly stood up, eyes brimming with tears. "Ichigo--"

"Let's go." His voice was gruff and quiet, and Rukia felt compelled to stay silent at the moment and just followed him as he walked away.

No words were said during the whole walk home. With each step, Rukia feared more about what was to come. Ichigo only kept silent in few choice moments: it was either he was extremely sad, or his anger was blown to proportions that couldn't be measured by words. And Rukia knew their case at the moment was the latter.

They soon reached the Kurosaki home. Upon the opening of the door, Karin, Yuzu, and Kon jumped up from their seats. All were greatly relieved to see Ichigo, Nel, and Rukia safe.

"Nee-san!" Kon lunged himself at Rukia, and Ichigo didn't even bother to stop him. Karin and Yuzu felt the tension in the air, and took the now sleeping Nel from Rukia. Throughout the whole exchange, Isshin silently watched by the clinic's door, knowing full well that the truth was about to be revealed soon.

Ichigo impatiently grabbed Kon by the collar and dragged him upstairs to his room.

Rukia made a move to follow him, but with a single word from him, all her movements halted.

"Don't." His amber eyes were obscured by his orange locks, making it all the more harder for Rukia to gauge his reaction.

Yuzu and Karin looked at Rukia in confusion, and saw a few stubborn tears escape her pained eyes that she immediately masked with an obviously fake smile.

"I'll go take a shower." So many was needed to be asked, but Karin knew that it wasn't the right time, so she let the older woman run upstairs to the bathroom--the only place she could stay at the moment.

And there, Rukia sobbed hard, all the feelings of pain and despair that she had been repressing finally flowing freely down her cheeks...

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Ichigo refused to come down for dinner that night, and the dining table was mostly quiet while they ate.

Everyone soon retired to their rooms, with the exception of Rukia. Yuzu offered that she stay in the twins' room again, but seeing as Orihime, Nel, and the twins were already occupying the room, she didn't want to take more of their space.

She sat on the living room couch, staring intently at the television that wasn't even turned on. She wanted to talk to Ichigo, but she knew that he was still trying to cool off. She sensed for his reiatsu and knew that he was still wide awake. This was her chance, and so, she tossed the dice.

She quietly climbed upstairs and stood right in front of the door to his room. She took a deep breath and mustered all the remaining courage in her small body. She turned the knob and entered his room.

Ichigo lay on his bed, his hands behind his head. His eyes were focused on the window, perhaps looking at the full moon's beauty, hoping it would calm him down. On the desk beside his bed lay an immobile lion plushy, while the green pill that usually inhabited it sat beside the toy.

"Ichigo--"

"How could you lie to me?" It was obvious that he could hardly contain his anger.

"I didn't lie to you! I just...I just..." Rukia was rather baffled by the blatant accusation. However, she knew she deserved it.

"You just what? You didn't tell me everything, is that it?" His voice was rising with each word he said. "You were...defiled. He said you were defiled. What did he mean by that?" He hissed through gritted teeth. Ichigo had heard the exchange earlier. In all honesty, he would have arrived earlier, but upon hearing the Espada's questions, he promptly froze.

Rukia averted her gaze to the floor, not wanting to answer, wishing everything was just a nightmare that she would soon wake up from.

Ichigo got up from his bed and stood a few feet from her. "He didn't mean...he didn't mean _'that'_, did he?" His tone changed to one of incredulity. He didn't need to explain what _'that'_ implied; Rukia understood it all the same.

A sob escaped her lips, and that was enough for Ichigo to know the answer. "Oh...gods, no...No..." A hand frustratingly pulled on his orange locks as he tried to keep his temper in check...and was miserably failing.

"How many times?"

The tears were back, and they flowed freely on her cheeks. "J-just once."

It was probably the most awkward conversation they ever had, but neither seemed to care at such trivialities at the moment.

"And you...You have been helping him..." His tone now was accusing with barely restrained rage. "You helped him...even at the cost of other people's lives!"

That made something in Rukia snap. How dare he accuse her of treason! She did all of these for them...for him! And now he was putting all the blame on her shoulders for her to carry all on her own? How much more cruel could he be?

"Is that how you see it? Huh, Ichigo? Is that how low you think I am?" He didn't reply.

"So, all these time, you thought I was capable of doing such preposterous acts against my own friends?!" Her voice gained strength. So did her tears.

"You just proved it." He replied quietly.

That a slap to the face. No, something worse than that. It was a stab to the heart. Rukia didn't have any more strength to reply, for sobs were wracking her body. She slowly backed away, and when she reached the door, she ran off.

Ichigo saw her running down the street through his window. His rage was blinding him from the fact that her running away from him--from everyone else--could only result to disastrous outcomes.

Perhaps even death.

Her death.

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I know, i'm evil. I tell you what, this chapter was supposed to be longer, though it would of in a cliffy all the same. I decided to cut it here because...well, we only have 2 or 3 chapters left. So yeah, next chap would be the revelation of truth. The why's would be answered there, I think. But i won't update till you review. XD will Rukia die? I don't know. I'm actually fond of angsty stories. XD hohoho. Well, review and you'll get an update soon. It is my sem break, after all. It all lies in your hands...and your mouse, so click that review button now. XD take care everyone!


	16. Chapter 15

So yeah, I updated earlier than usual (which, for the past few chapters meant over a month of waiting. ^^'). I would like to thank each and everyone who read and reviewed the previous chapter.

**rukiaichigo15chappy, Hachimitsu-sama, Assault Godzilla, XxChappiLovexX, random, Lazy Mew, meows, Carolina, Yong Yuan, rukia death kuchiki, Cherry blossom snow, Animekitty9, Kuchiki Shinigami, chocobojockey16, TheRottenStrawberry, -ICHIRUKIFTW-, shell, Automailjunkie44, ichirukiftw7, yuri-chan1713, Beyond Flight, LightDark-YinYang,** **TwilightAmethyst, Sara, ramasterharper, Rhyjle, BunnySlippers, ****jhhkhyjgtkhgvkf, AvaLuna, Blaine, Great Karyee-sama XD, SilverStella, seccaberry, HanaTink719,** and **mipku.**

Special thanks to:

**MianneKrielle** for reviewing chapter 9.

**BakaMilkShake** for reviewing chapter 6.

**Kuchiki Shinigami** for reviewing chapters 12 and 13.

**ichirukiftw7** for reviewing chapter 1.

**AvaLuna** for reviewing chapters 2 and 6.

Oh yeah, and Vi for the...err, flame, I guess. I hope you get to read this, since you didn't leave an e-mail add for me to reply to. I don't think Grimmjow would suit the antagonist role in this fic better. You said that it was unlikely that Ulquiorra would continue what Aizen started, and yet you say that Grimmjow would have been a better choice. From what I remember in the series, it is Grimmjow who doesn't really listen to Aizen, so it's highly unlikely for him to continue Aizen's plans. So yeah, sorry that this story didn't satisfy you.

Anyways, the responses were so overwhelming that despite my writer's block, I forced myself to write a chap. I wanted to update before school officially started, so here you go. And since I just forced this out of my system, please forgive me for the crappiness of this chapter. ^^'

Oh by the way, if you have free time, please check out my latest oneshot, **So the story goes**. It's the longest IchiRuki oneshot I have ever written. XD

Sorry for the errors and the OOC-ness. ^^

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Rukia ran.

And then ran some more.

Her surroundings were nothing but a blurry background to her; she didn't know where she was, or where she was headed to. She could blame it on her still hazy mind, which was still too shell-shocked at what had occurred in the past few minutes. She could also blame it on the endless shedding of tears of her amethyst orbs. Still, she continued to run, wanting—needing—to be as far away from everyone and everything as possible.

She soon reached the Karakura Park—a place that was usually filled with laughter and joy by both children and children-at-heart alike during the day, and was turned to nothing but a desolate piece of land at night. Yet, in the midst of the eerie silence, the petite woman found some sort of comfort, knowing that no one was there to judge her…to look at her with distaste…to be disgusted with her.

All her life, Rukia had been battling with all forms of disparagement. She had been a street rat who stole in order to survive during her early childhood days in one of Rukongai's poorest districts. She was an uneducated and uncivilized person to her fellow Shinigami Academy students. She was an outsider and a disgrace to the rest of the Kuchiki clan. She was nothing but a social climber who got lucky enough to be picked from the trash she came from to bear a princess' name in the eyes of some of her squad members. And now…even Ichigo…even Ichigo looked at her as if she was the lowest creature existing.

He hated her, she knew that. And she didn't blame him for it. He was blinded by rage and fury, and probably had not meant half of what he said. And yet, for those words to come out from the lips of the man she loved the most hurt her all the same.

That was the last straw.

And she couldn't take it anymore. She had been on the verge of breaking down long, long ago, but she fought hard to remain standing. But Ichigo…within mere moments, he sucked up all her remaining energy to keep on fighting…her remaining sanity…and she finally allowed herself to break down.

How she wished once again that she didn't live such a complicated life. She would have given everything she had for a chance to be an ordinary human being, and live with the man she loved more than anything until their dying days. But no, she surmised, that was impossible.

And her disoriented mind didn't even register the reiatsu that had appeared not too far from where she stood.

It was _him. _Again.

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Ichigo lied wide awake on his bed. No matter how hard he tired to fall asleep, he just couldn't. He could blame it on the events of that day, or to the thoughts that constantly swam through his head. But he knew deep down that what made him stay up that late was the worry gnawing him. He sighed loudly as he got up from his bed and walked towards his bedroom window. He climbed up to the roof, and was surprised to see someone sitting there, as if waiting for him the whole time…which he probably was, considering it was his father.

"What took you so long, my boy?" Yep, that confirms it. Isshin sat comfortably on the roof, gazing at the stars.

"What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked, baffled by his father's unusual quietness.

"What are _you _doing here? Shouldn't you be with Rukia-chan?" No trace of amusement or teasing could be detected from his tone.

Ichigo placed his hands inside his pants' pockets and looked at the stars, refusing to give Isshin an answer.

The older Kurosaki heaved a sigh. "Ichigo, tell me…do you love Rukia-chan?"

The orange-haired teen furrowed his eyebrows even deeper than usual as red tinged his cheeks. "Mind your own business."

"I loved your mother so much, Ichigo, and I'm not afraid or ashamed to tell the whole world about it." The father said nonchalantly.

"What are you trying to say? I'm not afraid to—"

"Then say it." Isshin challenged.

"I…I love Rukia…"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am!" Ichigo snapped.

"Then what happened, Ichigo? Why are you alone now?"

"Because…because she…" The carrot-top trailed off.

"Do you think Rukia-chan loves you?"

Ichigo's scowl softened a little as he lowered his head. "I…Yes."

"So I ask again, what happened, Ichigo?"

"She…she lied to me. She…kept things from me."

The stars in the dark sparkled as if watching the father and son exchange with unrestrained amusement.

"Ichigo, do you know what love entails? It entails trust…it entails acceptance. When your mother died, my whole came crashing down on me. It had been hard for me at first. I hated her for dying like that…for leaving me wretched and miserable. But you know, I realize that Masaki wouldn't do that just for the heck of it, you know? It's because I trust her that I was able to wholeheartedly accept her death. She didn't just die because she wanted to—she did that because she cares for you."

Ichigo's eyes widened. Trust…Acceptance…

"Think about all the times that Rukia-chan stood for you….the times that she fought for your sake. Rukia-chan loves you, Ichigo. And I'm sure she has her reasons."

At that moment, an image of Rukia, walking away from him with Renji and Byakuya towards a place they all knew was where death awaited her, flashed in his mind. Despite that certainty, that death was waiting at the other end of that door, she still chose to walk away from him…to come with her captors in peace. Why? To protect him.

And during the Bounto invasion, she also came back to assist him. For him. Her powers haven't even returned then, but still, she paid no heed to the calls of her weak body.

When Inoue was taken captive, she disobeyed orders just to be able to fight with him. To stand beside him.

When she learned about his inner hollow, she did not recoil in fear. Instead, she beat him up and told him to get stronger so he could crush it and protect the people he cared for.

She accepted him. She trusted him. She loved him.

Isshin smiled at the look of realization on his son's face as he slapped him on the back. "Now go be a man and find your woman, my boy."

"I never thought I'd say this…" Ichigo paused and gave his dad a sheepish grin. "…thanks, Pops."

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"Shinigami."

That single word sent shivers down Rukia's spine. She knew full well that so much more was left unspoken, and yet, that single word was enough to tell her things this Espada never uttered.

A cero was shot directly where she stood, and she was lucky enough to dodge it without any damage to herself.

She was of no use, and she needed to be disposed. Why, she didn't really know. It wasn't as if she was a key fighter during a war, nor was she a threat to his plans. It wasn't like he shared with her all of his schemes, and she was sure she wasn't capable of hindering them anyway. So why did he want her blood to shed so much?

"Hadō no sanjuuichi, Shakkahō!" Rukia retaliated in the only way she knew she could. It was a futile attempt, she knew, for kidō could never defeat an Espada of Ulquiorra's caliber. But she was determined to fight back…maybe until help came…until Ichigo came.

"You have to die, Shinigami." The unscathed Espada spoke ominously. He unsheathed his sword after firing another cero.

Rukia jumped back, only to freeze in mid-air as Ulquiorra instantly appeared behind her, posing to strike her with his sword. Instinct kicked in, and she sent him a kick to the arm, redirecting his sword. Unfortunately, the sharp edge of the sword still caught her, and a gash appeared from her collar to her shoulder in an upward slash. She jumped back a few feet away and fell on her knees, her hand cradling her bloodied chest.

"After you die, Shinigami, I will kill _them_ all. You should consider yourself lucky, for you will not be able to witness your…friends' deaths." He deadpanned, taking slow steps towards the raven-haired woman.

Just as the last word left the Espada's lips, Rukia's reiatsu instantly spiked to heights she herself wasn't aware that she was capable of. And slowly, she stood up, facing Ulquiorra with blatant defiance.

Ulquiorra continued striding forward, unimpressed by the display. "Die, Shinigami."

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Ichigo ran to the places he thought she might be. He tried to sense her reiastu but it was faint, and he couldn't exactly pin point where she was. He cursed silently at her ability to run fast in her gigai, and mentally kicked himself for not bringing Kon with him. It would have been much easier and faster to search for her in his Shinigami form, but leaving his body in the middle of the street wasn't exactly a good idea.

He paused for a few milliseconds to catch his breath, only to have it caught in his throat as he felt her reiatsu shoot up to unknown proportions.

Oh, hell no. She wasn't alone. There was another reiastu in the area she was in. And he knew the bastard who owned that reiatsu.

And with much more fervor than before, he resumed running. He cursed again, loudly this time, hating himself for being such a jerk with every single step he took.

And he hoped with all of his heart that he wasn't too late…

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A ball of blue reiatsu larger than any he had ever seen her fire before sped towards him with such tremendous speed. It startled him that he wasn't able to block it with his sword. It hit him directly on the chest, and the intensity of the shot sent him reeling backwards.

Rukia kept her head down, but the anger emanating from her was so obvious that no one needed to see her face to know she was furious.

Ulquiorra threw the chunks of concrete and other debris that flew away with hime at the impact of the kidō spell. He was caught off guard by it, for he didn't even hear her chant. He stood up still clutching his sword. The front of his arrancar uniform was burnt, and so was the skin on his chest. Yet, there were no other damages on his body, and this injury didn't deter his skills.

He used sonido to appear behind her again, but she turned swiftly to face him, her palm facing him as she fired another kidō spell.

This time, he successfully deflected it.

"Why are you still fighting, Shinigami?" Ulquiorra tried to play with her emotions again, knowing full well that it would give him the upper hand in this battle he was unexpectedly losing.

"Don't you dare touch them." She looked at him with fiery amethyst orbs.

"Why, Shinigami? Why are they so important to you?" He started walking again. "These people you call…friends, why do you risk your life for them?"

"You would never understand." She spat venomously.

"And you believe they will do the same for you? Shinigami, will they still call you their…friend, after they find out what you did?"

Rukia froze at that. Images of the people she considered her friends flashed through her mind. Chad, Ishida and Inoue…Renji…Karin, Yuzu, Isshin…Niis-ama…Ichigo.

"_You just proved it."_

She clenched her fists as tight as she could as she thought of the earlier events.

Ichigo…

..

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..

Byakuya looked at the jigoku chō that just flew out of his office window. He solemnly closed his eyes as he walked out of his division and shun poed towards the Commander General's office.

This wasn't the first time he had been called to the office ever since he came back from the living world. But every time he was called in, he would try to recall his conversation with Yoruichi several days after he returned.

"_Don't interfere, Byakushi. Kisuke…he's sure about this, and in some way, this is his attempt at making things right. I trust him on this one, Byakushi. And I suggest you do, too."_

Byakuya couldn't bring himself to trust that Shinigami in disguise after that stint he pulled regarding Rukia and the Hōgyoku, which led to Rukia's almost execution, and his almost breaking of a promise. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to not trust this cat woman who has taught him so much. And so, begrudgingly, he agreed to put it all in Urahara Kisuke's hands.

"Kuchiki-taichō." Yamamoto-sōtaichō said upon Byakuya's entrance to his office.

The noble nodded his head respectfully but kept his silence.

"You forbade our forced to enter the living world…again. The Espada has been spotted once more entering the territory of Karakura-cho. This is a risk you're taking, Kuchiki-taichō."

"With all due respect, Yamamoto-sōtaichō, I believe I am doing the right thing."

Yamamoto stared intently at the noble captain. He knew Byakuya was one of the most loyal warriors of Soul Society, and he knew that this noble was not one to disobey orders, or take risks. This was the reason why the Commander General had not issued a detaining order against him for his noncompliance.

"It must be eradicated at once, Kuchiki-taichō."

"Yes, but not by Soul Society."

"What exactly do you mean?"

"Everything is under control."

Urahara Kisuke instantly flashed in the Commander General's mind. True, that genius had done several mishaps in the past, but Yamamoto-sōtaichō himself would never deny the fact that he was more of a benefactor than anything. And if it was that blonde captain supporting the noble's statements, then Yamamoto-sōtaichō himself would not stand against them.

"Very well. I will hold you liable, Kuchiki-taichō."

"I am willing to give up my title as the head of the Kuchiki clan, my captaincy, and my own life, should anything go wrong." Byakuya stated without wavering.

"Dismissed."

Byakuya soon found himself back at the Kuchiki manor, staring at a photo, deep in thought.

"Give her strength…Hisana."

..

..

..

..

"_You just proved it."_

Stop.

"_You just proved it."_

Stop!

"_You just proved it."_

Stop it!

"_You just proved it."_

STOP!!

Rukia shut her eyes tightly as she held her head in her hands, trying to shake her thoughts away.

And that was a bad move.

She found that soon enough, as something cold and hard pierced through her very being, making her forget everything else. She vaguely saw the blood that sprayed through the air as the sword was retracted.

"RUKIA!!"

It wasn't until everything faded to black, and someone—Ichigo— called out her name did she realize she was falling down.

"Sayonara…Rukia."

* * *

OOC, I know. But Rukia's been through a lot, so I wanted to depict her on the point of breaking down as best as I could. Sorry if it sucked. ^^'

And yes, I am excited about the third movie. XD

Oh yeah, I'm sorry if this chapter didn't turn out as you expected. I had some minor miscalculations with how long this story is, but I promise that the explanations will be in the next chap.

Please review, and push me to write another update before school starts to become a bother. XD

Take care everyone!


	17. An apology

Okay, before you throw tomatoes and other what nots at me, I wanna say I AM SO SORRY.

I know, you must be disappointed to see that instead of an overdue update, you get this. Way to ruin the new year, ne?

I'd just like to explain the reason behind my prolonged absence.

As some of you already know, I had the most disheartening conversation with a critic. She told me to take this fic down, among other discouraging things. I know you think it was childish of me to wallow in self-pity, but I was deeply hurt. Not one of my other critics ever told me to take this fic down. I mean, I worked hard on this, no matter how poorly-written you think it is. This is my baby, you know.

I almost wanted to stop writing. Yes, not just in this fic, but writing _in general_.

So yeah, I decided to go on a mini-hiatus for a while, and I think I feel better now. I knew I needed to apologize to you guys for making you wait this long. I will be working on the next chap real soon. Thank you for the patience and the support. I really, really appreciate it. I feel like I never was ever able to show you how I truly cherish every single one of you. You guys make me keep on writing. I will love all of you for-the-ever.

I'd like to give a shoutout to **Bunny Slipper** who sent me about 4 reviews, I think, asking me to update. I really wanted to do just that when you sent your second review, but I couldn't find the inspiration. I am terribly sorry.

Just a few more weeks, people! I'll see you on the next update! :D

By the way, I released a new oneshot about two weeks ago. It's called **Ask Me Not**. If you have the time, please do check it out. I hope it could compensate for my lack of update. :D

Take care everyone! I love you all to pieces! :D


	18. Chapter 16

Okay, how do I say this…? Uhm…Sorry? XD Okay, okay! I am so sorry I took this long to update. I myself couldn't believe that it took me 5 months to get me back to writing. I just couldn't find the urge to write. Some extreme case of writer's block, if I may say so.

BUUUUUT!! None of that now, as I came here today with an update…AT LONG LAST!

But first (yeah, this is one heck of an A/N but I have a LOT to say so please bear with me XD), I need to thank everyone who sent their encouragements via reviews and PM's. You guys make me feel…loved (or, well at least my story is, at the very least?). Thank you SO, SO much! I woulsn't have gotten out of this funk without all of you. Merci! Merci beaucoup!

And even if it makes the chapter appear bulky, I'd still like to name names:

**TwilightAmethyst, Automailjunkie44, jazzmin92, BunnySlippers, A Pink Rose, mipku, kai152, Kuchiki Shinigami, Believing Is Seeing **(who also sent reviews for chapters 11, 12 and 13),** rukia death kuchiki, Bethany **(have you started an account yet? Please feel free to ask for my help if you think there's ANYTHING I can do. :))**, BakaMilkShake, Hachimitsu-sama, -ICHIRUKIFTW-, SilverStella, rubberducky13, 1blackcat, RaiChia, uchihakiriko, cheezels, 4everHoldYourPeace, Evanette chan, Cherryblossom snow, HANYAxbrando, mae-ann (**we have the same nick name XD)**, VanishingSoul, Baxter54132, No. 1 Knuckle-headed Ninja, TorI.A.k.u.m.I., XxIceFurxX, Nicole Miklos, midnight shadow of darkness, ****... **(namely Allie, Mel, Hannah and Toby…err was I supposed to say your names? XD),** Beyond Flight, Your Biggerestest Fan **(you sweet girl!)**, Mandy, Rhyjle, December05th, xwhitemoonx, and piwbear239.**

And of course those people that I disappointed (namely those who reviewed for Chapter 15 that asked me for a faster update. Sorry you guys!):

**Yong yuan, TheRottenStrawberry, Great Karyee-Sama XD, Bunny Slippers, MianneKrielle, Automailjunkie44, rukia death kuchiki, BakaMilkShake, Assault Godzilla, Beyond Flight, rukiaichigo15chappy, da archer, Cherryblossom snow, SilverStella, KuroiTsuki7, Hachimitsu-sama, Nastasha, XBlueSkyX, HinaTink719, RaiChia, ichirukiftw7, Anna, Tainted Sesshy Lover, missysillivan, Bunny Slippers (again XD), Nehiatsoru, Waiting, Waiting (again XD), ichirukipwns, kitti0cat, jazzmin92, xZAE, and Mandy.**

And I'd like to thank everyone who put this on their fave and alert lists. We have reached the 120+ mark, I think, for both and we (yes we, not I. I share everything with you guys XD) 24,000+ hits. You guys don't know how much I love you! *hugs*

And thanks to **narquotic** and **HANYAxbrando** for the uhhh nudges in the HitsuRuki forum. I hope we don't get reprimanded for talking about IchiRuki fics in a HitsuRuki forum. XD

Warning: OOC-ness (I think?), errors (no editing has been done yet again), and uh...crap? Sorry, I can't help but feel like this chapter is a disappointment. Still can't get my bearings back. Sorry.

* * *

"RUKIA!" Ichigo's scream oddly reverberated through the open area of the park as he watched the petite shinigami fall slowly to the ground. Amber eyes burned with tears, but Ichigo didn't dare let the salty liquid fall. He clenched his fists tightly as he stared at the bastard who stood beside Rukia's fallen, bloody body, looking back at him as if...challenging him.

In a brief moment, the space where Ichigo once stood became empty as he shun poed towards the Espada, raising Zangetsu and swinging him down with all the anger boiling up within him. He needed to make this quick. He needed to get Rukia some help.

Metal clashed against metal as both parried each other's attacks. Ichigo had successfully led Ulquiorra meters away from Rukia's fragile body. He wouldn't risk having her defenseless form caught in the center of their battle.

Suddenly, the orange-haired shinigami felt a shift in the atmosphere. He forcefully pushed Ulquiorra's sword back as he stood rooted to the ground. He slowly lifted his head,and his amber orbs widened when he noticed several cracks in the dimension, and he knew exactly what those things were, and what were lurking behind them.

"Dammit," he cursed as he shun poed near Rukia's body, keeping his eyes locked on the unmoving bastard who seemed to watch him struggle with sick amusement masked by his emotionless face.

Soon, hollows of different sizes, appearances and classes rained down upon them. The coward called for reinforcement, Ichigo thought acidly.

He wanted so bad to beat the living shit out of this bastard arrancar for laying a hand on Rukia, but he couldn't exactly do that at the moment. He couldn't just let the hollows run freely and chase after innocent plusses and human raised his zanpakutō, preparing an attack, all the while still keeping his gaze locked on Ulquiorra.

"Getsuga Tenshō!" Ichigo swung a perfect moon fang that cut through a horde of hollows that were slowly making their way out of the park. They all dissipated into nothing, only to be replaced by another batch of hollows.

"Damn!" he hissed as he prepared to launch another attack, looking over at Rukia from the corner of his eye. She was bleeding profusely, and her breathing was obviously laboured. He knew he couldn't just grab her and shun po away to safety no matter how much he wanted to. He couldn't fend off Ulquiorra, kill hollows, and carry her all at the same time.

And besides, he made sure his resolve wouldn't break. He wouldn't step out of the park without making sure that blood was side that night. And Ichigo would make sure it wasn't his.

..

..

..

..

"So it began," Isshin stared at the moon shining ethereally on his clinic window, and restrained himself from following the urge to go out there and help his son, whom he was sure was engaged in a battle between life and death--not just his own, but Rukia's and mankind's as well.

But he knew better than to interfere in a fight that wasn't his own. He'll just stay by the sidelines, silent but ever ready to jump in whenever necessary. For the time being, he'll just stay and guard his precious daughters.

* * *

Ichigo ran Zangetsu smoothly through another hollow, making sure he stayed rooted to his place. He knew Ulquiorra was tiring him, making him kill all these hollows while he calmly watched. Ichigo cursed again as another hollow attacked him, and he wondered for just a brief moment how it would have been better to use shun po and release several Getsuga Tenshō's to kill all there annoying creatures. But he wouldn't dare take so much as a step away from his spot, where the unconscious and helpless body of a raven-haired woman would be an easy prey for the power-hungry hollows.

He had long since changed into his bankai form, knowing full well that it would make the job of exterminating the hollows a tad bit easier. He let out a growl of frustration as several adjuchas-level hollows leapt through the air and prepared to attack him. He swung his pure black blade, releasing a powerful moon fang that cut clean through all of them.

Ichigo glanced at his side, where a few hollows were grouping together, readying to attack him in retaliation to his butchery. He prepared to call forth another moon fang, but as he swung his zanpakutō down, it met with another metal, and there was a resonating clang heard all over the place.

So the bastard finally made a move.

Ichigo cursed as he deflected Ulquiorra's sword. He swung his own zanpakutō down, but Ulquiorra managed to easily dodge it.

Swing. Parry. Dodge. Shun po. And then swing again. The battle of the clashing swords seemed endless to Ichigo, as neither was gaining the upper hand. Unbeknownst to him, the orange-haired man was being led farther and farther away from the woman he so desperately wanted to protect.

Ichigo cursed under his breath for the umpteenth time as Ulquiorra parried his attack again. And suddenly, he stumbled forward as the Espada was gone in a flash. The arrancar soon reappeared a few feet in front of him, calmly watching something...behind him.

Ichigo knew this as one of the oldest tricks in the Tactics Book—the enemy would pretend to see something behind him, making him look back in the process, and when he sees nothing there, he'd turn his head back only to come face to face with his enemy sporting a large grin of victory.

Except that Ulquiorra doesn't grin.

And that when Ichigo finally gave in and turned his head to look at what the arrancar had been staring at, he didn't find the "nothing" he was expecting.

Instead, what he saw made his heart and stomach clench painfully hard. There was Rukia, laying on the ground, still unconscious and panting for breath. And right above her loomed a humongous hollow, ready to devour the defenseless Shinigami, its yellow eyes almost twinkling in anticipation as it grinned at the sight of its next meal.

Thoughts flooded Ichigo's head in the few milliseconds it took for the hollow to open its wide mouth and pose to devour the Shinigami on the cold, hard pavement. Shun po wouldn't be fast enough to take him there, not with the distance in between (again, he cursed himself for letting his mind wander during his fight with Ulquiorra that he didn't notice the distance between him and Rukia growing); releasing a moon fang wouldn't reach the disgusting creature fast enough either. So again, Ichigo cursed himself as he slowly ran out of time and options. He watched with growing horror as the beast's mouth came closer and closer to its prey. He lifted his zanpakutō to at least attempt to stop his beloved Shinigami's second death. "Getsuga--"

The hollows mouth reached Rukia...and then dissipated into thin air, a clean slice visibly cutting its mask in half.

And there stood a very relieved Ashido.

The disruption in the dimension of the living world alerted the inhabitants of the Urahara shōten. Ashido didn't need to think twice about heading towards its source. He immediately jumped up, left his gigai, and shun poed to the park, heading straight towards the gigantic hollow eyeing Rukia's fallen form.

He locked gazes with the orange-haired substitute who looked extremely grateful for his impeccable timing, and then shifted his gaze back at his opponent. Ashido let his eyes scan the surroundings, taking note of the hordes of hollows gathered around the park. He raised his sword, ready to engage in some serious hollow extermination, when the orange-haired "kid" called out to him.

"Ashido!"

The maroon-haired man looked calmly back at the young boy.

"Leave this to me. Rukia...get Rukia help. Bring her to geta-bōshi's...please."

Ashido has never seen this kid lose his usual annoyed demeanor to...beg, if that was the right word...for him to do something. So without hesitation, he gently cradled the raven-haired woman's fragile and bleeding form and shun poed away, hoping against hope that the kid would indeed be strong enough to kill the Espada and the hollows before either could bring terror to the town.  
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Nel ran. She inwardly berated herself when the thoughts of stopping and resting came to mind. No, she must find Itsugo at once. She could feel danger brewing in the air, and so she ran as fast as her dainty feet could carry her, not even offering so much as an explanation to the worried Yuzu when she left the house.

She finally made it to the park in time to see Ichigo dodge Ulquiorra's attacks. He hadn't been fast enough though, and the tip of Ulquiorra's sword caught his arm. Blood sparyed through the air as the two separated. Then, swords clanged as they reunited. Nel stared, transfixed, as sparks flew from the clashing metals.

A movement caught her peripheral vision, and she finally saw the multitude of hollows in the area, and the cracks in the dimension. Her jaw dropped wide open as the numbers continued to increase with every passing moment.

A gleam from somewhere caught her attention. A menacing claw from one of the uglier hollows was raised in position to strike down Itsugo's back as he continued fending off Ulquiorra. Her eyes widened and her jaw hung open before she tightly clenched both shut…

…and when she next opened her eyes, she was standing back to back with Ichigo, her sword raised just in time intercept the claw. Nel was finally back in her real form.

"Thanks, Nel." She heard Ichigo mutter faintly before disappearing once again to get on with his own battle. Nel smiled slightly and nodded to herself as she stood with determination to get these horrible monsters off Ichigo's back.

* * *

  
Urahara adjusted his bucket hat as he opened the door in time for the arrival of Ashido. He knew something bad had happened, and though he wanted to go out and help, he knew that he had much more important things to tend to.

Like telling the truth behind everything, for instance.

And yes, now was the best time to do it.

What he didn't expect though was the gravity of the situation. His eyes displayed mild shock as he surveyed Rukia's pale and panting form.

"Bring her in, Ashido-kun. Tessai!" Without letting his cool composure slip, Urahara inwardly cursed as he thought of the female healer that unintentionally chose this moment to sleep.  
..

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..  
Speaking of which...

Gray orbs snapped open instantly open as if they had been awake the whole time. Orihime immediately sat up, still disoriented from her long slumber. She tried to remember what happened that brought her to that very place, that very moment.

Once she gained back her bearings, she thought of what could have possibly roused her from sleep.

And that was when she finally felt it, so strong that she wondered how she even managed to not notice it upon waking. Hollows. Lots of them...and Kurosaki-kun fighting...fighting Ulquiorra?!

She abruptly bolted out of bed, throwing her blanket aside without any care in as she ran straight through the front door of the Kurosaki home, not minding the confused glance from Yuzu nor the meaningful gazes of Karin and Isshin.

* * *

  
Uryuu and Chad had been killing hollows for the past 10 minutes or so, and though there weren't so many of them, it was still odd to have that much hollows attacking all of a sudden.

Uryuu deduced that it might...no, that it HAD something to do with the foul reiatsu currently battling with Kurosaki somewhere nearby.

He released another blue arrow. "I hope Kurosaki is doing well."

The Quincy didn't expect an answer from the quiet Chad, but he surprisingly got one. "He is. He's protecting her."

Uryuu paused for a moment to let this sink in. He let a smirk show on his face as he closed his eyes and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "You're right."

"Ishida-kun! Sado-kun!" A soft vice called out to them.

Both men turned to the direction of the voice, but only saw a hollow blocking their view. Just as the two readied themselves to attack the obstruction, it slowly dissipated and a fairy very much like Tsubaki--which in reality, was him--soared through the space before disappearing.

"Inoue-san!" Uryuu blurted out with obvious relief at the girl's awakening. He and Chad met the heavily-breathing woman halfway. "Are you feeling well, Inoue-san? Should you even be up now?"

Orihime smiled as she tried to regain her lost breath. "Yes, I'm okay Ishida-kun. But we must hurry, Kurosaki-kun..."

Ishida stared at the girl for a few more seconds as she in turn stared at the ground. He finally nodded in acquiescence. "Let's go. There are a lot more hollows there if I'm not mistaken."

And so the three ran to the aid of their friend.  
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Sweat rolled off Ichigo's forehead as he managed to successfully evade a swing. Unfortunately, he hadn't been as fast as he would have wanted, for his left sleeve was now torn, a clean cut from the shoulder to the wrist parting it in to two halves. Several cuts and bruises were already visible all over his body, and blood was flowing from the deeper wounds.

His months of Shinigami and Vizard training, and all his experiences during the previous war did a lot of good to Ichigo. All those, however, didn't make his stamina infallible. With his mind in three places all at once (one part is with Rukia, one is focused on the battle, and the last was trained on his surroundings), and with his enemy seemingly not taking him seriously, Ichigo is slowly starting to lose it. He would've used his hollow powers by now, but didn't dare risk it for fear of failing again, in which case he'll be completely drained and incapable of fighting back. He feared that it was that scenario the bastard had been waiting for.

A hollow leapt through the air above the orange-haired man, and Ichigo posed to strike it down when a blue arrow sped past him killing the monstrosity in mere seconds.

"Need help, Kurosaki?"

A look of slight relief briefly passed Ichigo's face as he saw who came to lend a hand. From the corner of his eye, he saw that Nel had been having a hard time controlling the hollow traffic, considering that they never ceased to increase in numbers with each passing moment.

What made Ichigo show relief was the woman standing beside Ishida and Chad.

"Inoue!"

For a few fleeting seconds, Inoue's heart fluttered at the obvious relief on Kurosaki-kun's face.

That was until…

"Rukia! Rukia's at geta-bōshi's…She…Please heal her, Inoue!"

A small pang of grief claimed the buxom-woman's heart for a short-lived second before determination took over and she nodded at the substitute Shinigami. She gave both Ishida-kun and Sado-kun pointed looks before running towards the general direction of the shop.

A faint light, however, caught her peripheral vision and she swiveled just in time to see a cero heading straight towards her. She instinctively raised her arms to mentally call forth her powers…

…but the cero was negated by another cero.

And before her stood Kurosaki-kun who was now donning his hollow mask. His deep but distorted voice broke her from her trance. "Save her, Inoue."

..

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Urahara watched grimly as Tessai worked on Rukia's bloody form. Healing kidō after healing kidō had been cast on her, but the stabbing wound seemed to have evolved into a much serious injury.

"She couldn't get out of he gigai, that is why her injury seems much worse."

His eyes lit up slightly as he felt a familiar reiatsu heading his way.

The blonde captain placed a hand on Tessai's arm to stop him from what he was doing.

"Urahara-taichō?" Ashido asked, baffled by his actions. "Why are you stopping—"

"She's saved, Ashido-kun. If you would please be so kind as to…offer assistance to the…ah, emergency situation outside, it would be greatly appreciated."

"But Rukia—"

"—will be okay, Ashido-kun." Urahara stated sternly.

Ashido cast a worried glance at Rukia before nodding and heading out. And just as he slid open the door, the buxom woman he knew to be Inoue Orihime came rushing through.

"Urahara-san!" She was a woman on a mission, and she would not be deterred. Kurosaki-kun trusted her. She would not fail him.

Ashido let out a sigh of relief escape him before shun poing away to where the hollows started hunting for their meals.

Orihime ran straight to the room where she could feel a very faint trace of Kuchiki-san's reiatsu. She gasped as she knelt down beside the slient body, and immediately went to work.

* * *

_Dark. Black. Nothing._

_But hot…no, warm. Warm like walking under the sun at noon when the orb is at its peak; like sitting in front of the fireplace during a cold winter evening. Warm like being healed by the powers of…_

Everyone sitting beside the petite Shinigami sighed in relief as two amethyst orbs finally graced the world.

Rukia instantly sat up and held her now fully healed chest as she took note of her surroundings. Her eyes stopped on the buxom woman. "Thank you, Inoue."

Inoue blinked back the tiny tears that formed due to the relief she felt upon the awakening of her friend and smiled happily. "It was nothing, Kuchiki-san—"

She was abruptly cut off when the woman she had just been speaking to suddenly stood up, and a single glance at her fiery, determined amethyst orbs told everyone just where the Shinigami was headed to.

But Ruki fell to her knees before she even reached the door.

Inoue instantly got to her feet to check what was wrong with her, but the cane in front of her stopped the auburn-haired woman from advancing any further.

"Kuchiki-san…how about we sit and have some tea?"

Rukia glared at the wall. She would've directed her icy gaze at the blonde captain, but the shopkeeper just cast a high-level binding spell on her. "Let me go! Ichigo—"

"—will be fine. And besides," he tipped his bucket hat to hide his eyes in its shadow. "How would you help him in your current…situation? You couldn't even get out of your gigai."

Rukia's eyes widened as Inoue gasped from nehind.

"There are a few matters that had been waiting for a very long time to be addressed." Urahara continued.

"We don't have time for this." Rukia hissed. "Ichigo is fighting…" She stiffened slightly at the thought of the man Ichigo was battling at the moment.

Golden eyes glinted from the dark corner of the room. "Him. Yes, he's fighting him now, Kuchiki. And eh is faring well—"

"Why are you all here? Shouldn't you be...out there helping him?!" Rukia asked hysterically as she took note of all the powerful people with her in that same room.

"Ara, Kuchiki-san, you should know by now that there are two different types of battle." Urahara's face held no sign of his false cheer. "Now…shall we get down to business?"

* * *

Before you throw daggers and other whatnots at me, I would like to say that I never meant to cut this chapter in this part. However, my mind is on its…uhhh…adjusting period and refuses to conjure up something longer than this one, and I was terribly afraid that if I forced myself, it'll come out crappier than it already was. Worry not though, I promise the next update wouldn't take another 5 months to come. I have the outline of the next chap (because it was originally supposed to be apart of this chapter).

And I know I suck at fight scenes. Gosh I can't force myself to write a tolerable one to save my life. So please, can we just…overlook the fight scenes and focus on the bigger issues…like Rukia knowing the full truth soon? XD

Anyways, please review and tell me how much 5 months changed my writing. And while we're at it, can you guys describe to me what my style of writing is? I honestly have no idea, and people often comment about it. Oh well. You guys have a nice day! And Happy Easter! :D


	19. I'm not dead yet XD

Hey guys! Yes, I'm alive, unlike what most of you might think. XD

I'm sorry this fic has been dead for so long. I planned on discontinuing it, but the reviews I've received the past months told me that there are still people reading this. I'm trying to edit the writing, but I'm not quite sure about editing the details in it. I didn't know Ashido's last name, for one, when I first started writing it. Plus Tessai's former occupation in the Shinigami ranks was written way after I wrote this, so forgive me if I robbed him of his past. I'm trying to get things to work, but with school work piling up fast, I just can't get the time to write. I'm on my last year in college, so I'll probably get back to writing after I graduate (hopefully). I also have to read the chapters I've missed. I don't know Ulquiorra's resurrecion which will cause a problem if I plan on writing a fight scene between Ichigo and Ulquiorra.

I promised someone that this year wouldn't pass without the word "Complete" in this fic's status. I'm sorry I won't be able to fulfill that promise. I've broken quite a few, and I deeply apologize. I can't believe it's taken me over a year to update this thing. And I'm ashamed, to be honest.

But know that I WILL work on it. Just give me time. My muse comes and go without trace, so it's hard to search for her.

Here's a preview of what next chapter will be (written over a year ago):

"Tell me, Kuchiki-san, if I am correct in saying that the Espada's main aim was…the completion of the Hōgyoku?"

Inoue was completely stupefied. "The…Hōgyoku? But…I thought it was destroyed?"

Urahara closed his eyes. "Yes, everyone thought so. And I should have known better than to believe it. There is no way to completely destroy the Hōgyoku."

* * *

"Even though your soul was adhered to your gigai, the physical damages it received never once reached your spirit form."

Rukia stared on in confusion. "Why are you saying this?"

Urahara lowered his bucket hat to further hide his eyes. "Because it means, Kuchiki-san, that you have not been…tainted."

* * *

As Rukia jumped into the fight, only one thing played in her mind over and over again.

"There's only one thing you can do, Kuchiki-san…" Urahara said grimly as he lowered his head. "You have to make a sacrifice."

Rukia shivered at the shopkeeper's low and serious tone. "Sacrifice what?"

Urahara opened his fan and covered half of his face with it as he looked at the raven-haired woman dead in the eyes. "Yourself."

* * *

THERE! That's all you'll get from me for now. We'll see how I get around to actually writing the whole chapter. THANK YOU to everyone who's still around reading this I love you all to bits! :D Til the next update!


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